


Family Ties

by orphan_account



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: AU, Angst, By chance meeting, Death, Fluff, Genealogy, Grieving, Internalised Homophobia, M/M, Violence, bereavement, breaking bad news, happy ending!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2019-07-12 14:23:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 33,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15997043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Set in 2018 - AU.    After being roped in by Cain and Chas, Aaron is on a mission to find out more about his distant family.   A chance meeting with Robert at the library changes everything.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a new story. I have no clue where I'm going with it yet. Other stories are being updated in coming days.

Aaron sighed when he realised this wasn’t going to be the hour’s job he expected.    Looking around, he had never felt so out of the place.

He looked at the large empty space on the shelf with _Elland_ on one side and _Esholt_ on the other.  

 He noticed a grey-haired woman sitting at the desk at the top of the room, keeping an eye on the people in the room.     He knew he had no other choice but to ask her, otherwise he was going to be here all day trying to find them.

He went over and smiled at her, only to be met with a stern look over her glasses.   “How can I help you?”  She asked curtly.

“I’m after the church records for Emmerdale but they don’t seem to be there.”

“Have a look under B for Beckindale and you might find what you’re looking for.”   She said without emotion.

It clicked.   Emmerdale had been called Beckindale before the name was changed after the plane crash in 1993.  

“Thank you!”

“If you can’t find it there, they must be in use.” 

He wandered off to look, but his luck was out again as he found a large space between _Batley_ and _Bradford_.    He sighed, looking about at where he might find them. 

It didn’t take long to find the ‘record thief.’   Tucked away in the corner he could see a blond-haired man with a pile of church records next to him.  There was barely any room next to him on the table as he sat scribbling away on a pad. 

He couldn’t help but be a little annoyed.  Why did the man need to take all of the records at once?  He strode over to confront him.

He cleared his throat.   “Excuse me!  Are those the records for Emmerdale and Beckindale?”

The man turned around and looked up at Aaron, his bluey/green eyes taking in the man standing before him.   

The man bumbled a nervous response.  “Yes, I’m sorry, did you want them?”

“Yeah, I did actually.    Why don’t you just take the ones you need?”

The man explained.  “Sorry, I didn’t think anyone else would want them and I was getting fed up of getting up every five minutes to get another one.  Plus that woman freaks me out and watches my every move.  It’s like being back at school.”  He tried to make light of the situation. 

Aaron wasn’t in the mood for small-talk.  He just wanted to be in and out of this place as soon as possible.     It was his mum and Cain who’d come with the idea of surprising Faith with her family tree but strangely they were both too busy with the pub and garage respectively to come and do the research themselves.

He hadn’t minded at first as he thought he’d just have to login onto Ancestry but as his luck would have it, or wouldn’t have it, as it turned out…  the website didn’t have the church records for Emmerdale.   So it turned out, he’d have to make the 30 minute drive into Leeds, find a parking space and visit the most boring place in the city -  the library.    Aaron hadn’t set foot in a library in his life so this was very strange.

The man smiled at him.  “Look, just take what you need.” 

Aaron looked through, grabbed a pile and headed off to a table at the other side of the room.  

The search through 100’s of church records was mind-numbing and he found himself pleased when he was interrupted from the laborious task.   “I’m really sorry to bother you.”  He looked up to see the blond-haired man smiling down at him.

“Have you got the marriage book for 1910-1925?”

Aaron looked down the pile.  “Yeah it’s here.”  He passed him the book.   

As the man walked away, he couldn’t help but notice how well his backside filled out his jeans.   Aaron chastised himself.    He had a boyfriend.   Alex wouldn’t be impressed if he found out he’d been checking out other men, neither would his mum, or most of the Dingles for that matter.

He thought about the last few months since his mum hooked him up with the junior doctor after she met him in Hotten A&E with her broken toe.   According to her, Alex was a real catch and on paper he was – good looking, educated and he treated Aaron well.   But there was something missing – a spark.   Sometimes he felt himself feeling relieved when he got a text to say Alex couldn’t come over to the pub because he was working late.   

Everyone loved Alex and why wouldn’t they.   He was charming and witty… well, according to other people he was.   Aaron couldn’t quite get his sense of humour but he just played along with him.   It was easier that way. 

His thoughts of Alex were interrupted.    “This is getting really embarrassing but have you got the births for the 1890’s.”  

The man cleared his throat.  “Look, I may be overstepping the mark but why don’t you come and sit next to me.   We can put the books in between us and then share them.”

In the normal scheme of things, Aaron would’ve refused as he hated his personal space to be invaded but there was something about the man that made him agree.   Was it the inviting blue/green eyes, the messy blond hair, or the fact he was so goddamn gorgeous.     

Aaron nodded, as the man helped pick up the books to carry them over the large desk where he’d been sitting.    As he put them down, he took the records out of Aaron’s hand.   “I’m Rob by the way.”

“Aaron!”  He extended his hand to take the one on offer.

“Nice to meet you.” 

 

They didn’t speak for the next ten minutes until Robert piped up.  “So you look into this as much as me.”

“That obvious, is it?”  Aaron managed a smirk.   “I’ve been dragged into this.”

“Me too.   I tried to say no, but you know how convincing family can be.”  Robert replied.

“I definitely do.  So what name are you looking into?”

“Harker…  she was my mum.   How about you?”

“Preston…  It’s my gran’s maiden name and the person I’m doing this for.   It’s a birthday present.  Knowing my luck, she’ll not be interested.”   He laughed, only to be met with a gorgeous smile from Robert.  

“Probably.  I can’t believe, these records aren’t online.  I thought it was just a case of putting the details in a search engine.  I didn’t think for one minute, I’d be having to look in person.”

“Me too.”  Aaron couldn’t help but smile.

They worked in silence for another half an hour until Robert sprung out of his seat.   “God, I’m late.  Lily will kill me if I don’t pick her up on time.  She has me wrapped around her little finger.” 

Aaron felt a pang of disappointment as he heard the name.   No doubt, his wife or girlfriend.    “ok, it was nice to meet you, Rob.  Hope you’ve got the information you need?”

Robert smiled.  “You’re kidding, aren’t you?   This is going to take a few days yet.  I’ll be back up tomorrow.  How about you?”  He asked coyly.

“I’ll be back first thing in the morning.”

“I might see you.”  Robert replied.

Aaron could’ve sworn Rob was blushing and flirting with that final comment but then told himself he was imagining it.   This man was attached and straight, much to his disappointment. 


	2. Chapter 2

It was almost five by the time Aaron made it back home to the pub.   The traffic had been terrible but he’d finally made it back.  

He headed through the pub for a quick pint before heading upstairs.  

“Tough day, love.”  Chas smiled at him.   “How did it go?  Did you find much?”

“Yeah a bit but I’m going to take a few more days to get everything I need.   It’s so boring trawling through the records.”

Chas laughed.  “Well, at least Cain is paying you for it and you get some time off the garage.  He said to take as long as you need.”

“Not too long I hope.”   He replied.   “I’ll have a pint.”

“Okay but don’t take too long as I told Alex you’d meet him up the Dingles.  Lisa had a turn before so he was amazing as usual and went up to see how she was.   You need to hold on to him.”

Aaron tried to look enthusiastic but covered with a joke.  “So you keep telling me.”

“I’m just glad to see you happy and with someone who treats you right.  You can’t ask for anything more than that.”

He gave his mum a look when she only gave him a half pint.   “You can’t be too long.   I shouldn’t tell you this but Alex wants to talk to you about something important.” 

Aaron panicked but didn’t show it.  “He’s not planning on proposing, is he?”

“No… but I wouldn’t be surprised if that wasn’t on the cards soon.   He’s mad about you.   I was told to keep quiet so you’ll need to go and talk to him.”

Aaron reluctantly made the ten-minute walk up to Wishing Well.    He found Lisa and Zak fussing around his boyfriend.   “Oh Aaron, come in love.  I’m sorry we took him away from you for so long.   He’s been amazing.”   Alex smiled over at him, bright red from all the praise being pushed his way.

Alex walked over and kissed Aaron.   “I’ve missed you.   A seven-night stretch is a killer, but that’s what I need to talk to you about.   Walk back to the pub with me.”  He asked.

Aaron was nervous about this announcement but followed him as they headed off down the road.  “Ok, what is it?”

“I’ve been thinking about how we don’t get to spend much time together because I’m always too tired to come here after my long shifts.   So I’ve been talking to Eric about Jacob’s Fold.   He says he’ll considering selling it for the right price.”

“You’re moving to the village.”  Aaron asked in shock.

“Not only that… I talked to a mortgage advisor and he said I could afford if you moved in as well.   Our joint income is enough to buy it… together.”

“You want to move in with me?”

“Yeah, I know it’s quick but you just know when something feels right.”

Aaron was just about to voice his concerns when Alex’s phone went off.    He looked at it.  “I’m so sorry, Aaron.   There’s a staffing problem and I’m on-call so I’ll have to go in.   I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon after I’ve had a sleep at home.    We can make plans then.”  He kissed them and headed off to Hotten General.

 

Aaron headed back to the pub to meet Matty and Vic for a drink.   Since Adam had left, he often felt lonely and wished he had more people to hang around with.  Gone were the days when he used to head into town to meet up with his mates.  Alex didn’t like him going out unless he could go too.  Maybe it was a touch of insecurity on Alex’s part.

“So I hear from your mum that you and Alex are moving in together?  She’s been telling anyone who will listen.   How are you feeling about that?”  Vic asked; she had become his sounding board over the past month or so, being the only person who ever noticed that Aaron wasn’t into Alex as much as he was into him.

Matty smiled.  “Why don’t you get out of the relationship?  It’s obvious you’re not into him.”

“It’s not that easy.   My mum thinks the sun shines out of his backside.   Don’t get me wrong I do like him and he can be fun to spend time with, but there’s something missing.   I just don’t see us being in it for the long haul and the thought of moving in with him, makes me feel trapped.”

Vic piped up.  “Yeah but you can’t settle for second best.   There might be missing the one person out there for you who will light up your world but you’re too busy camped on the sofa with Dr Boring to find him.    Let’s face it, Alex is a lovely guy but he’s not your guy.  You have nothing in common.”

“Yeah but to make matters worse, Alex’s called Liv and told her that she’s going to have a new home and she’s all excited about it.  She asked if she could come home from Ireland early.   This is the first time in her life that she’s been settled and she loves Alex to bits.”

Matty replied.  “So who’s dating Alex?  You, Liv or your family.    If I’ve learnt anything from transitioning, it’s that you need to do things for yourself and not worry about what everyone else thinks.” 

“I know you’re right but it’s so hard letting everyone down.”  Aaron explained before changing the subject. 

Vic touched his knee in support.   “But at the minute, you’re letting yourself down.”

 

Aaron promised Alex he would head to the library early so they could meet up with Eric at 2pm.  He needed to think about how he could delay the house buying until he could work up the courage to cool things with Alex.

It was just after 9 when he got there, half an hour before the library opened.   He was surprised to see Rob just ahead of him.    He walked faster so he could catch up with him.    A distraction from Alex was just what he needed.

“Rob, wait up.”

“Hi Aaron.”  He smiled.  “A glutton for punishment, I see.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to let my gran down, would I?”   he joked.

Rob looked at him with a serious expression.  “would you like to grab some breakfast before we go up.  The traffic from Sheffield was nuts and I never got the chance to eat.   The café here does nice breakfasts, or so I’ve been told.” 

“I’d love to.”   Aaron replied as they headed up to the counter.

“Let me.”  Robert announced.  “It was my idea.   Full English?” 

“Yeah that would be great.”

They took a seat in the corner and tucked in.   

Aaron decided to find out more about him, curious about Rob’s almost shy demeanour around him.  “So did you make it back for Lily yesterday?  That’s your wife or girlfriend, I assume.”

Robert chuckled.  “No, she’s my daughter and yes, I was on time to pick her up from school.”

Aaron didn’t expect that.   “How old?”

“She’s six going on thirty.  She thinks she knows everything.”

“I hate to tell you, it doesn’t get any better.  My sister lives with me, she’s just turned 16 years and she thinks she knows best about everything.”

“How long has she lived with you?”

“About two years.   Her mum’s a train-wreck and her dad died.   She’s my half sister but we’ve got really close since she came to stay with me.”

“I can relate.  Lily’s mum is a train-wreck too.    She waltzes in and out of her life depending on whether she’s got something more important to do.   And by more important, I mean… month long holidays in Ibiza.   Bex claims she goes out there to work as a DJ, but it’s more like a non-stop holiday funded by her rich dad.   Poor Lily doesn’t know if she’s coming or going.  I try to keep things as stable as I can for her but then Bex comes back and messes everything up again.”

“Sounds like a nightmare.  Can you not get full custody?”

“I have looked into it, but her family make up lies about me, saying I have a new girlfriend every week.   I made things difficult for myself, as Bex got pregnant when I was engaged to her sister Chrissie.” 

“How to make things complicated.”  Aaron laughed.  “So you’re quite the ladies man.” 

“No such luck.  I’m not willing to bring a new woman into Lily’s life when she‘s gone through so much in her short life.   I’ve only had a few flings in the past six years, so not quite the womaniser that they would have you believe.”

“It’s nice to hear that you put your daughter first, she’s lucky to have a dad like you.”  He replied, going almost red when he realised how flirty his comment sounded.

“I wouldn’t go that far.  I’m just desperate to give her a happy life, something I missed out on when I was growing up.    My mum died when I was 4 months old and my stepmum died when I was 14.  And the less said about my dad, the better.”

“God, that has to be hard.”

“It was, but you know what… I try not to dwell on it, although I don’t have much choice at the moment.   Lily begged me to help her with her school project about family history so I’ve got to find out more about my birth mum.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’re here.   Have you found much?”   Aaron asked.

“Yeah actually.   I’ve been here for three days already and I’m back to the early 1800’s.    It’s quite interesting once you get into it.”

Aaron sat back and listened to Robert explaining what he’d found.     He could spend the whole day listening to this man and felt like he could tell him anyway, yet they’d met less than 24 hours ago.  What was happening? 

 

Three hours later, they’d both made great progress in their quest to find out more, chatting and helping each other along the way.

“I’m starving.”  Aaron stretched and yawned in his chair.  “Let’s go for some lunch… my treat.   There’s a nice pub down the road.”

“You’ve convinced me.”  Robert grabbed his jacket.

The pub was quiet for a Thursday, so they grabbed some menus and took a seat.    Both ordered a burger and a pint.

“So what’s your story?   I’ve told you all about my life but I don’t know much about yours except for your sister.    Is there a girlfriend or a wife?”

Aaron looked nervous.   “No, there’s a boyfriend.”   He waited for a reaction and he could see a slight look of surprise register on the other man’s face.

“Oh, I didn’t expect that.”  Robert realised by Aaron’s expression that he’d reacted badly.  “Not that it matters.  So tell me about him.”

“He’s called Alex and works at the local hospital as a junior doctor.   We’ve been going out for a few months.”

Robert smiled.   “He sounds like a catch.”

Aaron screwed up his face.   “You’re not a member of my family, are you?  They adore him.   My mum is so obsessed with him, in fact I wonder if she would go out with him herself, if he wasn’t gay.”

“So you don’t adore him?”

Aaron couldn’t work out why he was opening up so much, he never did.   “Adore is a strong word.  I like him and he can be fun to be around.   It’s early days… although he announced yesterday that he wanted us to buy a house together.”

“He’s keen isn’t he?  He must really be hung up on you.”  Robert said.  “Just tell him you’re not ready to take such a serious step.  I can tell you from experience, it’s hard to break up from someone if there’s finances and a house involved.  I would make sure you’re making the right decision before taking a big step.”

“I know you’re right but I just don’t know how to bring it up.  It’s almost like I’m on this escalator that I can’t get off.”

“Aaron, how old are you?”

“I’m 26.”

“You’re still young, there’s a whole world out there.   Maybe in time, you’ll work out that you’re meant to be with Alex and it’ll feel right to move in with him.”

Aaron lightened the mood.   “I’m not sure I should be taking relationship advice from you.”

Robert laughed.   “You could be right there.    A serious relationship scares me, I’d much rather have some fun when I get a chance, which isn’t that often.   This is really embarrassing but it’s been almost two years since I hooked up with anyone.”

 “You’re almost a monk.”  Aaron smiled. “Just kidding.  I hope Lily knows how lucky she is to have you.”

“Are you flirting with me?”  Robert commented, not realising it would provoke the wrong reaction.

Aaron was slightly annoyed.    “Why do straight men assume that being gay means I’m want to get off with them?”

Then came the comment from Robert that changed everything.   “Who said I was straight?”  He replied suggestively.

“Of course, you’re straight!?”   Aaron said.

There was sudden raw emotion in Robert’s voice.   “I realised when I was 15 that I had feelings for men as well as women.   I’ve never had a serious relationship with a man, just a few one night stands over the years.”

Aaron panicked, his life had suddenly become more complicated.   He wasn’t sure what he was feeling for Rob, but it was definitely something.   The question was, should he act on it or not?  He’d never cheated on any of his boyfriends before so why would he now?  Maybe Rob wasn’t interested.


	3. Chapter 3

Aaron sat back and watched as Robert headed up to the bar and grabbed them both a soft drink. He couldn’t help but check him out even more than he had the day before. 

“Two orange juices.” The blond man smiled as he put them down. 

“Thank you!”

“So, what do we do now?” Aaron asked coyly.

“Well, why don’t we finish these and then head up to finish up at the library. I think I’ll be finished by the end of the afternoon. I can’t wait to see the back of that place.”

Aaron was confused, Robert was flirting less than ten minutes ago and now he was backing off. He realised he’d probably misread the signs so he just decided to make this as quick and painless as possible. “Yeah me too. I’ll head up for an hour and finish off. Hopefully I can find the rest of the stuff online.” 

They finished their juice and walked the short distance back up to the family research room. 

Robert sat looking at the church records, but he wasn’t taking anything in. He was in turmoil, should he tell Aaron how he was feeling or should he let him walk out of his life. He realised he was being melodramatic, having only met the man just over a day ago. But for some reason he felt an intense attraction to the younger man, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

Over the years, he’d wrecked relationships including that of his brother and then his relationship with Chrissie had ended badly due to his cheating. He’d thought long and hard over recent years about his actions and knew he needed to change. So that is what he’d done by concentrating on being a good dad rather than a serial love cheat. And it was the happiest, he’d been in years. Whenever he had an itch, he’d taken advantage of Lily being away overnight to have a hook up with someone who took his fancy. 

Aaron had a boyfriend, a perfect sounding one at that. Even though he didn’t seem all that into Alex, he didn’t seem totally unhappy either. Robert wasn’t going to wreck that for what would be a quick fling, that wouldn’t be fair on Aaron. He had decided years ago that a serious relationship would have to wait until Lily was much older so she could deal with having a new person in her life.

He looked over and noticed Aaron studiously looking through the records. Maybe he was having this debate with himself for no reason, Aaron didn’t seem particularly interested in him. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. “Rob, I need to go now. I’m running late to meet Alex but I just wanted to say, it was nice to meet you. I hope you get sorted with Lily and Bex.” 

Robert stood up and smiled at him. “It was nice to meet you too. Good luck with Alex.” He shook Aaron’s hand. “Take care of yourself.”  
Aaron turned around to gather his stuff up and started to walk out of the room, he’d just about reached the door when he heard someone shouting of him, much to the annoyance of other occupants of the room. 

“Wait up.” Robert shouted. 

Aaron turned around only to find a small piece of paper being offered to him. 

“I’ll be home tomorrow between 10 and 3pm. Here’s the address.” 

He didn’t give Aaron time to respond as he headed back over to the desk where he’d been working. 

 

Aaron drove home, his mind full of thoughts. Why did Robert give him the piece of paper? He knew the answer but the prospect overwhelmed him. He knew he should chuck it in the nearest bin, but instead, he folded it up and put it in one of the more well-hidden compartments in his car. 

It was after 3pm when he got home, where he was met by Alex, sulking over a drink in the corner of the pub. 

“I’m so sorry.” Aaron commented. “I lost track of time at the library. That family tree lark is quite addictive but don’t tell anyone I told you that.” He joked to try and work his way back into Alex’s good books.

“I’ve never been so embarrassed. I told Eric we were really keen to buy the house, so how do you think it looked when you didn’t turn up?”

Aaron was annoyed. “Well to be fair, you’re really keen on buying the house, we’ve never even discussed moving in together, now you want to buy a house with me. Talk about moving fast. I thought you were happy with staying over at the pub.”

“Aaron, I never get to see you and it’s packed in the pub. I love you so what’s stopping us. We want to be together, don’t we?”

The momentary pause was all Alex needed. He got up and huffed off as he normally did. “Well, it’s clear you don’t want to be with me. I’ve given notice on my flat so I’ve got nowhere to live in four weeks so thanks for that.”

Aaron felt guilty, made even worse by Chas glaring over in panic at the raised voices. “Look Alex, of course, I want to be with you but us to slow down a bit. Can you not withdraw your notice?” 

Alex perked up. “I’ll try and I’ll re-arrange a meeting with Eric for tomorrow at 6pm. We can at least discuss it with him, can we?” 

He had this way of making Aaron feel sorry for him so as usual he found it easier to go along with Alex’s request. “Ok, I suppose it won’t do any harm.” He managed a weak smile in response.

 

The following day, Aaron still couldn’t explain why he was on his way to Sheffield. He told himself it was bad idea but here he was, only ten minutes away from the address that Robert had given him. He managed to convince himself, it was out of pure curiosity. Alex and his mum just assumed he was heading back to the library for the day.

He found the imposing building right away, just on the main street. He found a parking space in a nearby multi-storey. Nervously he made the short walk to the entrance door. He could tell by the presence of a concierge that this was an upmarket apartment complex. He stood for a few moments by the intercom keypad, knowing this was his last chance to back out. He took a deep breath and pressed the button for Flat 11. 

“Hi, come on up.” He could hear the nerves in Robert’s voice as the door buzzed open.

He took the lift up to the fourth floor and headed down the corridor to Flat 11. Before he had a chance to knock, the door opened. 

“Hi, I didn’t think you’d come. Come in.” Robert moved back to allow him to enter the flat. 

Aaron’s first impressions weren’t wrong… the flat was huge and airy. “This is very nice.” 

“Tell Lily that, she keeps asking to move to somewhere with a garden. She hates living here because there’s no kids around for her to play with.”

“Do you want a coffee?” Robert asked as he signalled for Aaron to follow him through to take a seat in the open planned lounge/kitchen. 

Aaron sat nervously, biting his lip and sitting on the edge of the seat. 

Robert came across with two coffees. “I’ve just worked out how the coffee machine works.”

He handed one to Aaron. “Sorry about the mess, I didn’t think for one minute you’d come. It was a spur of the moment decision.” 

“So do you regret it?” Aaron suddenly became unsure and defensive. 

“No, of course not! I thrilled you’ve come. I didn’t want to say goodbye to you yesterday.” 

“Me neither. I like spending time with you.” Aaron replied, blushing. 

“So how’s it going with Alex?” He asked.

Aaron looked at him. “Really, I’ve come here and you want to talk about Alex.” Not normally one to take the lead, Aaron surprised himself.

He took the cup out of Robert’s hands, and placed both cups down on the table, before gently leaning over and kissing him. 

Robert’s response was almost immediate as he pushed his mouth harder down onto Aaron’s, leaving him breathless. He then paused for a moment, pulling back. “Aaron, are you sure about this? Just with…”

Aaron didn’t give him a chance to finish his sentence, silencing him with a more powerful kiss. After what seems like ages, he pulled back. “I’m sure… where’s the bedroom around here?” 

Robert stood up, before grabbing his hand and leading him through to the bedroom. 

 

Hours later, Robert headed back through to the bedroom where Aaron was lying under the duvet. “The other ones got cold, so I thought I’d make us some new ones.” 

“We got a bit distracted, didn’t we?” The smile on his face covering up his embarrassment. 

“Yeah, but in a good way. That was mind-blowing.” Robert commented. “You’ve got to admit you were impressed.” He joked.

Aaron pulled a grimace. “It was okay I suppose.”

Robert picked up the pillow and playfully smacked Aaron in the face. “Well, if it was just okay, why don’t you just leave.” He laughed.

“Ok, I’ll give you 6/10, so maybe you could do with some more practice.” He smirked, pulling Robert down on the bed, leaving the two cups of coffee to go cold again.

It was almost 3 by the time, they managed to collapse in a heap on the bed. Robert looked at this watch. “I’ve got to go. Lily’s got after school club until 4 so I need to pick her up. I’m really sorry to run out on you. Will you come back again? I’ve had fun.”

Aaron kissed him. “How could I refuse such as an enticing offer? How about tomorrow? Same time?”

“Yeah that would be great.” Robert grabbed his trousers and started to put them on.

“By the way, what’s your second name? Harker?” Aaron asked casually, not expecting to be blown away by the reply.

“No, it’s Sugden.” As soon as he said it, he could see Aaron’s horror appear on his face. 

“You’re Robert Sugden.” He could barely form the words.

“Yeah that’s me. Why? Do you live in Emmerdale, my reputation proceeds me, I guess. I’ve changed... honestly.”

“It’s not that. We’ve met before… years ago. You do realise you’ve just slept with another Dingle, don’t you?”

Robert’s response was instant. “How? What?”


	4. Chapter 4

Robert sat back down on the bed, taking the information in. “So you’re Aaron Dingle? You’re not Chas’s son, are you?”

“Yeah that’s me. I remember seeing you at Katie and Andy’s wedding.” 

“You would’ve been a kid back then. I can’t remember much about you.”

Aaron panicked a little. “I’ll understand if you want to call an end to this… whatever it is.”

Robert shook his head. “Of course not! I’m really enjoying spending time with you.”

“Me too! I just never imagined you being bi. You’re always been a real lady’s man. I thought you looked familiar, maybe that’s why I was attracted to you from the off.” 

“I’ve changed a lot since I left the village, I had to. It was hard to cope on my own without my family.” 

“I can imagine. Where did you go?”

“I ended up in Manchester and then London, where I met Lawrence when I applied for a job at his agricultural machinery company. I worked my way up, met Chrissie and Bex and then my life took off. But then it collapsed when Bex told me she was pregnant and she refused to keep it a secret about me being the dad. As you can imagine, it went down like a lead balloon and I was ostracised from the family. It was only when it became apparent that Bex wasn’t cut out to be a mother, Lawrence got back in touch and asked me to help out. Basically it ended up with me having Lily more or less full time.”

“How’s Victoria? She’s the only person I miss.” 

“She’s had a tough year but she’s a survivor. She got married to my friend, Adam but he’s had to go on the run for murder. He didn’t do it if you’re wondering. Anyway she’s just got with Adam’s brother Matty and they’re really happy. She’s one of my best friends.”

Robert seemed sad. “I’ve missed out on all this. When I left, she was only 11 when I left. Does she ever talk about me?”

“No, not a lot. She did confide in me years ago about her suspicions why you left. She thinks you were involved in the crash that killed Max King as she overheard Diane and Jack talking about it.”

“I was… I caused the crash.” Robert was becoming emotional. “I was playing chicken with Andy and his Land Rover veered off with Max in. I got Andy out but it was too late to get Max out. It exploded.”

“Look, go and pick Lily up. I’ll be here at about 10 tomorrow. I’m a good listener and we can chat about anything you want.” Aaron stood up and planted a kiss on Robert’s forehead. “I won’t breathe a word to anyone about this, but I am here for you… ok?”  
Robert kissed him back. “Thank you!”

 

Aaron spent the hour’s drive to the village, taking in everything. Instead of complicating matters, it made things easier as it made him realise why there was probably an instant connection between them. He noticed that he’d not given Alex a second thought and he didn’t feel guilty even though he’d cheated on him. He knew that he needed to end things with him.

He decided to wait until the weekend as he knew Alex was taking him out. He’d break the news to him when they out of the village, so they wouldn’t be interrupted by Alex’s fan club, namely his mum and in fact, everyone in the village.

He convinced Alex that he didn’t need to stay over at the pub that night as he wasn’t feeling too well. When in reality, he felt that he was cheating on Robert. 

 

He arrived just after ten the following day. Robert was waiting for him at the reception.

“It’s a nice day. Can we go for a walk? There’s a lovely park just around the corner.” 

“That’ll be nice.” 

They sat down and discussed more about the Max incident and his relationship with his dad. He told Aaron about the crush he’d had on a farmhand when he was 15 years and was surprised when his dad sprung them. 

“He made my life hell for liking men and that was partly to blame for the way I turned out, as some sex-crazed womaniser. I needed to prove myself as straight so he wouldn’t look at me with disappointment. After he caught me with that lad, he never once told me how proud he was of me. Whereas Andy burnt down the barn killing my mum and shot my dad, but he was still the favourite.”

“You’re not a disappointment, Robert. You’re amazing, you’ve stepped up to the plate to be a good dad to Lily and you’ve made something of your life. Maybe you were a bit of screw-up years ago. Who wasn’t? I know I was. I mean I used to walk through the village like I was some tough lad, with my trackie bottoms tucked into my socks.” 

Robert laughed. “You have this ability to make me smile and I’m so glad I met you. Thank you!” He kissed him. Do you want to head back to the flat for breakfast or whatever?”

“Whatever sounds good.” Aaron smirked.

 

Aaron reluctantly dragged himself out of Robert’s bed to head home. He had to make the meeting with Alex to make sure he didn’t make any agreements with Eric. 

“Are you free on Monday?” Aaron asked a sleepy Robert. 

“Yeah, in fact, Lily is staying over with the Whites as Bex is heading off to Ibiza for a few months on Tuesday so why don’t you come and stay the night. If you can get away!”

“Yeah I’ll get away, don’t you worry! Have fun with Lily this weekend.”

 

Alex was looking at his watch as Aaron arrived in the pub. “I’ve made it with an hour to spare before you start.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Alex smiled. “I’ve had a change of plan and I agree that I’m moving too quickly.”

Aaron took a sigh of relief. 

“So I’ve seen Eric and have arranged to rent Jacob’s Fold on a three month basis with the view to buying. That way, I can spend loads more time with you and you can stay over when you like… hopefully every night” Alex started to run his hand down Aaron’s arm, almost making him freeze. 

Before Aaron could speak, Chas was over with a bottle of champagne on ice. “I am so pleased for you two.” She hugged them both. 

Aaron didn’t show his panic. “So when do you move in?”

“I’m working Sunday and Monday night so I’ll move in on Tuesday afternoon. I’ve already swung it so you can have time off the garage to help me so don’t worry about that.”

“I’ve pencilled in a housewarming party for next Saturday as I’ve managed to swing the whole week off after Tuesday. We can finally get the time alone we need. This will be the best thing ever.”

The Dingles suddenly descended on their table with pints in hand. Aaron couldn’t believe how popular Alex was, the Dingles were all over him like a rash along with his mum and Paddy.

“We’re thrilled for you.” Lisa piped up. “And now we have a doctor in the family. We’ll keep him busy.”

Aaron felt himself starting to panic, he felt hemmed in by the celebrations going on around him. This wasn’t what he wanted. He needed to be out of this circus before he passed out. 

Luckily Lisa and Lydia had Alex cornered and were questioning him about their latest symptoms. He took the opportunity to head out the back door to get some fresh air. His heart was pounding and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. 

“Aaron, are you okay?” Vic was heading into the pub when she came across him, sitting on one of the benches. 

“No, it’s too much. I feel like I’m going to pass out.”

Vic sat next to him and started to rub his back. “Take deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth.” 

It took a few minutes to take effect but Aaron could feel himself calming down. “Thanks, Vic. I just got hot and dizzy all of a sudden.”

“Aaron, you’re having a panic attack, you really need to end it with Alex. He’s not doing you any good.” 

“I’m going to, but I need to pick the right time. It’s hard because my family think he’s some sort of God. They hang on his every word. I’ve never felt so hemmed in.”

“Tell him tonight. You’re going to go downhill again, Aaron. I’ve seen you like this before and it doesn’t end well… you know that. You’re not harming again, are you?”

“No nothing like that. I just need to get out. I’ll tell him tomorrow.” Aaron was adamant.

“I’ll be here for you as much as I can, but it’s bad timing because my weasel of a brother has decided to get in touch after 13 years away. He’s visiting tomorrow.”

Aaron felt his heart speed up at the thought of Robert visiting. He needed to see him. “That must be a big surprise.”

“It is. Luckily Andy and Katie are away for the weekend so I don’t have to play referee between them.”

“What time’s he coming?”

“About 2pm, he said. He said he was bringing someone with him. Probably his latest trophy girlfriend or maybe he’s married to some rich woman.” 

“You don’t think much of him, do you?” Aaron asked.

“I’ll reserve judgement until tomorrow. He used to be a right dirtbag.”

“Maybe he’s changed.”

“Yeah right, this is Robert we’re talking about. You don’t know him like I do.” Vic smiled. 

 

Aaron felt excited about seeing him again although he knew they would be limited in what they could talk about. He would meet Lily too. Luckily for Aaron, Alex was so drunk from all of the free congratulatory drinks that he was asleep the moment, his head hit the pillow. 

He would suggest going out with Alex the next morning to break up with him. He felt awful but he knew there was no option...


	5. Chapter 5

Aaron sat nervously, waiting for Alex to appear from the pub’s back door. It was just gone 1pm, with Alex recovering from the monster of all hangovers. 

“So where are we off to?” Alex asked eagerly.

“Actually instead of driving, can we go for a walk?” 

Alex nodded. “As long as I get to spend the day with you, I don’t really care what we do.”

They headed down to the footbridge when Aaron asked him to stop unable to wait any longer. “Alex, can we stop and talk for a moment?”

“Yeah of course.”

“Right, this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. You’re a great guy and you’ve been so nice to me…but I don’t think we’re meant to be together. I like you but more as a friend than anything else.”

He watched as Alex’s face crumpled at the news. “You’re dumping me? Why? What have I done?”

“You haven’t done anything. I just don’t feel a spark between us. I don’t want to sleepwalk through the next few months and years out of habit. That wouldn’t be fair to either of us. It’s better to end it now.”

“But I love you, Aaron.”

“I know you do but I don’t feel the same way.” 

“In time, you will.”

“No, I won’t. Look I’ve made my mind up, it’s over.” He watched as Alex started to tear up, before heading off back in the direction of the village. 

Aaron wasn’t in the mood for the inevitable flak he would get when Alex spread the news so he went for a drive out of the village for an hour or two to clear his head.

 

Robert couldn’t believe how little had changed when he pulled into the village. It was more or less the same apart from the café and shop being in different places. He pulled his SUV up outside the back of Victoria’s so he didn’t attract too much attention. He asked his sister not to tell anyone about his return. 

“Daddy, this is so pretty. Can we live here?” Lily piped up from the back seat.

“Look, let’s talk about it later. Aunty Vic doesn’t know about you and she’ll be thrilled to meet you.” He lifted her out of the car seat.

Lily flew ahead and knocked on the door excitedly before he could stop her. The door opened. “You’re my auntie.”

Robert could see Vic’s eyes wide open in shock. “Am I? And who are you?” She asked.

“I’m Lily Sugden.”

“Nice to meet you, Lily Sugden.” She got down on the little girl’s level and shook her hand.

Robert smiled, knowing the questions would begin soon enough. “Hi Vic.” He hugged her tightly as if he was making up for the past thirteen years. “My god, you’ve grown.”

“Well I was 11 when I saw you last and people do tend to change. You have a daughter? Since when?”

Lily spoke up, very confident for her age. “I’m six. I was born on the 14th May 2012.” 

“You’re a big girl. Would you like some juice?” 

“Yes I would… thank you. Do you have wifi? I need the code for my Ipad.” Lily asked. 

Vic smiled at her brother. “She’s definitely yours, Rob. She’s lovely. I can’t believe how much you’ve changed. You look happy.” She handed the code to Lily, who put her headphones on to watch some cartoons.

“I am… more than I’ve ever been. Lily has changed my life.”

“So where’s her mum?”

“We’re not together, in fact, we never really were. She’s gone off to Ibiza for the Summer. I’ve raised Lily since she was six months. Bex flits in and out of her life when she fancies. Not mum material if you know what I mean.” He whispered so Lily wouldn’t hear.

“That’s awful.” 

“We do alright to be honest. Lily adores her mum so I’m careful about what I say. She thinks Bex is working abroad so she can get her the money for an extra special Christmas present. So enough about me, how have you been?”

“I’m doing okay. Still working at the pub.”

“Do you live here by yourself?” 

“Yeah, I was married… well I am technically still am, but he’s gone AWOL.”

“How so?” He asked curiously even though he was fully aware of Adam’s story and that of Matty’s. Aaron had filled him in.

“He killed someone.”

“But he didn’t do it… right.” 

Victoria shot him a puzzled look. “Yes, he did. It is a long and complicated story and I’m not sure Lily would want to hear about it. Anyway I’ve moved on now with Adam’s brother, Matty. We’ve only been going out for a few weeks but we’ve been friends for years.”

“Keeping it in the family then.” He joked, only to be met with a playful thump.

“Cheeky!”

 

There was a knock at the door. Vic got up and answered it. “Hi, come in. He’s here.”

Robert looked over and saw Diane coming into the room followed by a young dark-haired girl. “Diane!” He got up and hugged. “It’s great to see you.”

“You too.”

Diane looked over at Lily. “Who’s this?”

Robert looked down the young girl with Diane. “I was going to ask the same thing.”

“Lily… it’s nice to meet you. I’m your step grandmother, Diane.” 

“Grandma would sound better, Diane.” Robert corrected her with a smile. 

Lily came over, more interested in finding out who the girl was. “Who are you?”

“I’m Freya. I’m your cousin.” 

“How old are you?” 

“Just turned seven.” Freya answered, as she was led off to play with the Ipad by Lily.

“Who’s she?” Robert asked completely puzzled.

“She’s Andy and Katie’s daughter. They adopted her when she was three. She’s lovely.” 

Robert smiled. “Lily will love having someone to play with.”

 

Vic’s phone beeped as her brother filled Diane in on his time away. “I’m sorry to do this, but my friend Aaron has just dumped his boyfriend and I said he could come around if he needed to chat.” 

Diane smiled. “Of course, pet. Robert, why don’t we take these two over the street to the park?”

“That would be amazing.”

Robert didn’t react. He just asked Lily if she wanted to go with them. She didn’t take any persuading. 

They left through the back door, a few minutes later, there was a knock. She opened it to find a nervous looking Aaron standing there. “Vic, is this a bad time? I don’t want to impose.” 

“No it’s fine. Robert and Diane are over the park with Freya and Lily.”

“Lily?” he acted confused.

“Yeah it turns out that Rob’s a dad. She six and she’s gorgeous. It’s so exciting, I’ve got a new niece.” 

“That’s great, Vic.” 

“So how did it go?” 

“He didn’t take it well. He stormed off. I told him I needed to end it and I didn’t love him. I felt really bad but I needed to do it.” Aaron explained.

“You did the right thing.”

“I know that. Look, I don’t want you to miss out on your time with your brother so why don’t we pop over the park too.” 

She nodded as they headed out of the door, Aaron excited to see Robert even though it had only been one day since he’d seen him.

It didn’t take long for Robert to notice him but he kept his reaction in check. “So you must be Aaron. I think we’ve already met… years ago.” He put his hand out for him to take.

“Yeah I think we have.”

“Lily, come over here and meet Aaron.” 

Lily ran over. “Hello Aaron. Are you Vic’s boyfriend?” She didn’t mince her words.

“No, I’m not with Vic. Matty is Vic’s boyfriend.” He couldn’t help but see the resemblance with Robert. She was his mini-me. 

“Ok, this is all very confusing. So who are you?”

“I’m Vic’s friend.” Aaron pointed out.

“Dad, can I go back and play with Freya?”

“Yeah of course.” He put a hand on her back to give her the go-ahead. 

 

Diane headed back to see Doug at home, while Vic offered to look after Freya for an hour or so. That left Robert, Vic and Aaron sitting in the wooden gazebo watching them.

“I hear you’ve broken up with your boyfriend. Was it serious?” 

“Nah not really. It was for him. We’d only been going out for a few months.” Aaron answered, finding it weird to be acting.

“Better out of it then.” 

Victoria laughed. “Since when have you given relationship advice. Your relationships are always train-wrecks.” 

“Not all of them.” He looked at Aaron out of the corner of his eye. “Some of them have been serious.”

 

They were interrupted by Leyla passing the park. “Hello.” She clocked Robert immediately. “you’re new here.” 

Robert couldn’t believe he was being pounced on. “Well, not strictly speaking. I used to live here.” 

“Leyla!” She smiled. “And you are?”

“I’m Robert, Vic’s brother.”

“Robert Sugden?” She asked in awe.

“Why does everyone say my name as though I’ve got this massive reputation.”

“Well you have.” She smirked. “Maybe I’ll see you in the pub later.”

“I don’t know what we’re doing yet.” He tried to let her down gently.

Leyla smiled and walked off. Vic grinned. “I can’t believe that you’ve pulled in the first hour here.”

“I’m not interested to be honest. Lily is the only woman in my life.” He wasn’t lying.

 

“Seriously though, let’s ask Diane to look after these two and you can come out for a drink to meet Matty. Aaron could come too.” She picked up her phone to text Diane. 

Robert wasn’t going to turn it down. “Okay, sounds like a plan. Lily is pretty confident in meeting new people so she’ll be fine. We’re staying at the B&B for the night anyway.” 

Vic’s phone beeped. “Diane says she can have a sleepover with Freya if she wants.”

Vic headed over to ask them, leaving Aaron and Robert alone. “How do you fancy coming over the B&B tonight? Diane said, I’m the only person booked in so they’re just giving me a key for the whole place. You could stay the night. We could have the whole place to ourselves.”

“Like I’m going to turn that down.” He smirked as he watched Lily flying over to ask her dad if she could spend the night with her new best friend.


	6. Chapter 6

Robert had headed off to the B&B after dropping an over-excited Freya and Lily off with Doug and Diane.

Doug seemed nice, although a little bit dull. He’d cornered Robert within a few minutes of arriving to tell him about his latest plans for his allotment. He didn’t know if he could ever look at courgettes and marrows in the same way again.

He was nervous about the impending night out. He made the short walk to the pub fifteen minutes before he was due to meet the other three. The reception he got from the inhabitants of the Woolpack was surreal and reminded him of the Slaughtered Lamb from the American Werewolf in London movie.

The place went so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Everyone looked up from their drinks and meals, taking him in with a mix of expressions, ranging from puzzlement to utter contempt.

“Look what the cats dragged in.” Chas shouted loudly from across the bar.

He walked over to the bar and took a seat, just to annoy her. “Nice to see you too, Chas. It’s been too long.” He replied sarcastically.

“Not long enough.” She shot back. “What are you doing back in the village? No one’s missed you.”

“My sister and Diane have.”

“Are you sure they’re not lying so they don’t upset you?”

“I have missed your ever-present wit, Chas.” He replied, loving to rile her.

Cain got up from the table where Zak, Lisa, Sam and two people he didn’t know were sitting.

“Is he bothering you? I’ll run him out of the village if you like.”

Robert looked at him. “Look Cain, I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m just meeting Vic, Matty and Aaron for a drink. Not a crime, is it?”

Chas reacted immediately. “Aaron, he wouldn’t want anything to do with you.”

Aaron came through from the back room. “Thanks for telling me who I can be friends with, mum.”

Chas wasn’t happy. “Where the hell have you been? Through the back room now, we need a talk.”

Aaron smiled briefly at him. “Robert, go and grab us a table. I’ll grab us some drinks in.” He followed his mum through to the back room.

His mum started the minute the door was shut. “Please tell me that this is all a joke. You and Alex? What the hell happened? Now you’re best mates with Robert.”

“It’s not a joke. I broke it off with Alex because I don’t have feelings for him. He’s a nice guy but he doesn’t do it for me. The thought of being with him bores me to death and I deserve more than that.”

“You’re just going through a phase. He’s heartbroken out there.”

“Yeah but don’t worry, he’s got the whole Dingle Clan all over him? I don’t love him and I never will.”

“You’ll end up single and on the shelf.”

Aaron couldn’t stop himself. “Like you, you mean.”

She glared at him. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that.”

“I’m sorry, mum but you need to learn to butt out of my life. I know you’re worried about me but don’t. I’m 26 years old so it’s time you give me some space.”

“You’ll come around to your senses soon. But don’t wait too long, you might just find that he’s been snagged by someone else. “

Aaron smirked. “I hope so. He deserves someone to be happy with. But that’s not me. Can we have three pints and a white wine, when you have a minute?” He walked out the door.

Aaron found Robert had nabbed the booth near the bar, well away from Alex, who was currently being consoled by the Dingles. “Sorry about that interruption. Mum’s just given me a lecture on dumping Alex, apparently it’s the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.”

Robert laughed. “Pity Doug’s not interested in men, him and Alex could get together and bore the pants off each other.” He looked over at the Dingle table.

“They like him, don’t they?”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“Who’s the woman with Sam?”

“That’s Lydia, his fiancée. I’m half expecting a lecture off her before the night is out. She’s lovely and her heart’s in the right place, but she likes to offload her opinion on to you.”

“I wonder where Vic and Matty are.”

“I’m not sure. Remember not to say anything to Matty about his past. You’re not supposed to know.”

“Yes boss. You’re still on for later, aren’t you? I’ve missed you.” Robert whispered.

“It’s only been 24 hours.” Aaron replied.

“I know…” His sentence was interrupted by Vic and Matty’s arrival.

“I’ve got a round in.” Aaron moved over to sit next to Robert so the couple could sit together.

“I see Alex is here.” Vic pointed over.

“Yeah I’d noticed. Mum’s already given me a lecture about dumping him. I honestly think he’ll be an honourary Dingle before the weekend is out.”

 

 

They sat for the next hour, catching up on the event since he left the village. Aaron and Robert were enjoying each other’s company, but trying not to look too close, so not to arouse suspicion.

Aaron’s conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Leyla and Priya. Leyla looked over at Robert. “Can I buy you a drink, Robert?”

Robert looked up and smiled. “No thanks, Leyla. I’m good.” He said pointing at his pint.

“How about dinner tomorrow night at mine?”

Aaron couldn’t help but smirk at the desperation, but he couldn’t blame her. Robert was pretty irresistible.

“I can’t… I’ve got to head back home with Lily?”

“Lily? You have a girlfriend?” She asked clearly unaware that he had a child even though she was at the park earlier.”

“Lily’s my daughter. But I am seeing someone so I don’t think dinner would be such a good plan.”

Leyla looked disappointed and headed off, muttering under her breath. “Your loss.”

Vic looked at her brother once she was out of hearing distance. “Liar! She’s okay you know. She doesn’t bite.”

“I am seeing someone actually, Vic.”

Vic sat upright with interest. “Details?”

“Lily doesn’t know yet and we’ve not been together long, so I’d rather not say anything. I don’t want to jinx it.”

“Is it serious?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it is. I’m not saying anymore.” He looked across at Aaron who was trying hard not to blush.

“Ok, but I want to be the first to know details when you can tell everyone about her.”

She looked over at Aaron. “Chin up, if Robert can find someone, I’m sure the love of your life is out there somewhere.”

“You never know.” He smiled.

 

It wasn’t long before Chas came over. “Just so you know, Alex is staying in Liv’s room until his house is ready.”

Aaron reacted immediately. “You mean he’s still moving in Jacob’s Fold?” He asked in disbelief.

“Well, why wouldn’t he? Just because you’re making a big mistake, doesn’t mean he can’t move here. He’s a great guy.”

“And don’t I know it? Look I’ll be staying with a mate for the next few nights. I can’t be dealing with this.” He grabbed his jacket. “Let’s head back to the B&B for a few drinks. I’m sure Diane and Doug won’t mind as long as we pay for them and it’ll be nice not to get my head constantly pecked.”

Vic looked at Matty. “Actually if you don’t mind, we’re going to head home. I’ve got an early shift here. Maybe you two could head over for a drink.” She didn’t realise how easy she was making it for them.

Robert and Aaron were soon sat in the lounge at the B&B, chatting away over two bottles of beer. “I almost died when Leyla came over. You must be irresistible.”

“I must be, well let’s face it, you have problems saying no.” The older man smirked. “I hope you don’t mind me mentioning it to Vic. Hopefully she won’t push for more information. I meant what I said about us being serious.” He paused for a moment. “I’m turning into Alex, aren’t I? Pushing you!”

Aaron took the drink out of his hand and climbed onto his lap. “The difference is that I don’t mind you pushing me. I’m serious about you too and I don’t want this to end either.”

Robert didn’t resist when he felt Aaron’s lips on his and within seconds they were headed upstairs to his room…


	7. Chapter 7

Aaron woke up with a foot making contact with his lower back.   This was the first night he’d spent with Robert and despite, the repeated kicks, it was an experience he couldn’t wait to repeat.  He looked at the older man, sleeping peacefully and tried to work just when he had fallen for Robert Sugden.  

“Robert, I’ve got to go.  We don’t want anyone to spring us.”    He rubbed his arm, trying to wake him. 

He stirred ever so slightly, his eyes remaining partially closed whilst his arm reached over to pull Aaron back down onto the bed.   “Stay… just for a bit longer.”

“We can’t risk it.   I’ll see you later.   Maybe we could meet Vic at the pub for one of Marlon’s famous Sunday lunches.” 

Robert groaned in disappointment.  “Okay, but it would be much better if you stayed here for another hour.”

Aaron ignored him his attempts.  “I’ll arrange something with Vic.”   He leant over and kissed him, rescuing himself to a last minute attempt from Robert to pull him back down on top of him.

 

He headed back to the pub, taking the stairs as quietly as he could, knowing that Alex was staying just down the corridor.   Luckily he didn’t get caught, or at least he didn’t think he had.

He found Alex making himself at home in the backroom when he headed down for some breakfast.  “I’ll leave you to it.”  Aaron commented, about to leave the room to head over to the café.

“Had a good time last night?” Alex asked almost in an accusatory tone.

“I’m sorry?”  He replied.

“Well I wanted to talk to you during the night but it seems you were out.  On the pull, were you?”

Aaron was annoyed.  “Alex, let’s not do this.  We’re broken up and where I spend my time is really none of your business.”

“I think it is my business because I don’t think you know what you want.   You’re making a mistake.  I treated you so well and you throw it back in my face.”

“Yes, you did treat me well and I appreciate that but I can’t make myself have feelings for you, Alex.  I like you… as a friend and since you’re moving to the village anyway, we need to find a way of moving forward as friends.   Anyway, while you think it over, I’m going to the café for some breakfast so fill your boots.” 

 

Aaron found Vic having breakfast with Matty so he joined them.    It didn’t take long for Robert to arrive.    

“Hi, miss anything?”  He asked.

“Nah mate.  Nothing ever happens in a village, you should know that.”  Aaron replied, trying to act cordially.

“So who fancies lunch at the pub at 2.   My treat before Lily and me head back home.”

None of them put up a fight, making sure Doug and Diane got an invite too.  

They agreed to meet at 2pm.   Robert headed over to Diane’s to pick up Lily.   

“How’s she been?”

“She been no bother.   She’s lovely, Robert.  You’ve done an amazing job of bringing her up.”  Diane explained backed up by Doug.   “Yes, she’s credit to you.  So polite.”

Robert smirked.  “Well she might be nice to you, but she’s got me wrapped around her finger.”

“You may have problems getting her out of the village.   Freya has been telling her about Misty, her pony and has asked Lily if she wants to meet her.” 

He took a deep breath, knowing the onslaught of hugs and kisses would begin at any moment and he wasn’t wrong.   “Daddy, can I meet Misty?  Freya said I could.”

“How about we come another weekend?   We need to be back home so you can get packed to spend Monday night at your mum’s.”

“You promise, we can come back.”

“Promise.  How about one weekend.”

“Thanks, daddy.”  She hugged him and planted a kiss on his cheek.   She ran off to tell Freya.

“My god, she listened.”  Robert announced in shock to Diane and Doug.  “She never does.” 

“She’s been telling us all about her mum and how she’s off to get some money for her birthday and Christmas presents by working abroad.”  She explained.

He smirked. “You mean she’s going on another child-free jolly.  She’s not mum material if I’m honest but I’ll do anything to keep her in Lily’s life.   She doesn’t see her very often so we have to take any chance we get.”

“It must be hard for you, not to say anything.”  Doug chipped in.

“Sometimes I have to bite my tongue but if I can keep Lily thinking her mum is this amazing person for a few more years, I will.   I’m sure she’ll realise when she’s older what she’s really like.”  He explained, thinking back to his own relationship with his dad.

“Listen I’m treating us all to lunch at the pub if you can make it.  Freya and Lily can come too.  We’ve booked a large table.  I need to be back in Sheffield by later this afternoon as I have a conference call with one of my biggest customers.”

Diane laughed.  “You won’t get to catch up with Andy and Katie.”

“Damn and I was so looking forward.”  He replied sarcastically.   “I’ll be back in a few weekends time so no doubt, I won’t be able to put off the dreaded reunion forever.”

 

Aaron couldn’t believe it when he saw Alex chatting with Cain and Chas at the bar.   Faith was hanging off his every word as usual as well as doing her usual flirting.    

“Aaron, come over here.”  His mum shouted. 

He reluctantly headed over.  “What’s up!”

“Nothing, I was just wondering what you were doing on Thursday night.   We’re having a housewarming party at the pub to welcome Alex to the village.   You told him you wanted to be friends so this would be the perfect opportunity to start off on a new footing.”  She talked quietly so Alex couldn’t overhear.

Aaron was grateful that his mum had finally worked out that him and Alex weren’t the dream couple so agreed. 

He would be staying at Robert’s on Monday night and he suggested that Aaron come on Thursday during the day when Lily was at school.  He would be back on Thursday for the party. Anything to get his mum off his back.  He knew being rude to Alex would just isolate him further from his family and make his life difficult.

He smiled before heading over to the extended table in the corner where the rest of the group were sat.   He made sure he was sitting a few places away from Robert, so not to arouse suspicion.   He loved seeing how happy Robert was to be back in the village.    He’d been so nervous about ever setting foot in Emmerdale again but here he was, acting as though he’d never left.    

He found himself sitting next to Lily who was mostly busy discussing life changing matters such as the latest Disney movie.    Freya headed off to see what Marlon had for dessert leaving Lily, watching him intently.   “Aaron, where’s your girlfriend?”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

What she said next shocked him.  “a boyfriend?” 

He shook his head.   “Not anymore.  I did have one but we didn’t get on very well so we broke up.”

“Can I tell you a little secret?”  She whispered.  “”My daddy likes boys as well as girls.” 

Aaron acted surprised.  “Really!  I never knew that.”

“Yes it’s true but he hasn’t had a girlfriend or boyfriend since my mum.”

“Well maybe one day.”   Aaron suggested, testing the water.

“Maybe… I want him to be happy.   I like it when he smiles.    As long as they are nice to me too.

Robert came over.  “What are you two talking about?”

“Nothing.”  Lily went red, looking at Aaron to not say anything.   “I’m going to find Freya.”  She got up and headed off.

“What was that all about?”  he asked. 

Aaron smiled.  “I’ll tell you tomorrow afternoon.  What time do you want me to come?”

“I’ll be back from the school run about 9.20 so why not 9.25.”  He chuckled quietly.  

“Okay, it’s not like I’ve got anything else on. “ Aaron smiled coyly.

By 2pm, Robert has his SUV all loaded up with Lily’s three bags.   “She doesn’t travel light.”  He smirked at Aaron.    “Look, I’ll see you tomorrow.  I can’t wait.” 

“Me neither.” 

Robert said his goodbyes and drove out of the village, promising he would be back within a week or two, to face up to the inevitable meeting with Andy and Katie.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are references to a suicide attempt and self harm, but nothing graphic.

Aaron arrived on the following morning at 9.26am.   “A minute late.”  Robert pulled him in the flat door.  “One minute when we could’ve been catching up.”

“I got stuck in traffic.” 

“Any excuse… maybe you should’ve left a bit earlier.” He joked.   “I’m chuffed I’ve got you all to myself for the next 24 hours.   Bex is dropping Lily off at 11am before they fly out to Ibiza.  Chrissie and Lawrence are going there to help her settle in and take all her stuff over.”

“Got any breakfast, I’m starving.”

“Bacon sandwich or toast?”

“Toast would be great.”

“You’re easily pleased.  Toast, it is.”  Robert smiled at him.  “This is nice, just spending the day with you.   By the way, I’m sorry for just turning up unannounced on Saturday.”

“It was a nice surprise.  You seem to enjoy yourself and Lily seemed to really hit it off with Freya.  She’s a nice kid.”

“Yeah it’s hard to believe she’s Andy and Katie’s.   Being back wasn’t as stressful as I thought it would be.  In fact, catching up with Vic and Diane was great.   I told them I’d be back in a few weeks.  If you’re around, maybe you could pencil me in.”

Aaron felt Robert’s hands snaking around his waist.

“I’ll see whether I can fit you in.  I may be washing my hair.”  He smirked, the mood become flirtier by the second.

It didn’t take long for the toast to be forgotten about.

 

They were still in bed by mid-afternoon. 

“We should get up at some point.  How about we go out for dinner?”  Aaron suggested. “My treat… pay back for lunch yesterday.”

“Ok, there’s an amazing steakhouse down the road.”

“Sounds perfect.”

They sat over lunch, making plans for Robert’s next visit to the village. 

“I guess I’m going to have to bite the bullet and see Andy and Katie.  All Lily’s gone on about is seeing Freya’s pony.  Next thing, she’ll want one.” 

“It must be hard to say no.    She’s lovely.”

“What did she talk to you about yesterday over lunch?”

“She told me that you like boys and girls.” 

Robert went red.  “She didn’t!” 

“Yeah she did.  She said she hoped you’d meet someone who would treat her nicely.   It’s great that you’re so open with her.”

“The great thing about kids her age is that they don’t judge you as much as adults.   If only, I had the guts to tell other people, but I’m not ready to tell everyone.  You get it, don’t you?”

Aaron nodded, rubbing his hand to show support.  “Yeah, I get it.  Coming out was hard for me.”  He went on to explain all about his suicide attempt.   

“There’s something else you need to know about.”  He took a deep breath before launching into his account of Jackson and what happened after his accident.    He panicked when he saw the shocked look on Robert’s face as he told the story.

Robert took hold of his hands.   “Thank you for sharing it with me.   That was so brave, not many people would do that for someone they loved.   He was lucky to have you.”

 

That night, whilst they were lying in bed, Robert turned his head on the pillow to face Aaron.

“You don’t have to tell me but those scars on your stomach?”  He pointed to them.

“I cut myself.   If things get too much, I take it out on myself, it’s a form of release.  It’s hard for someone else to understand.  I haven’t done it for months now.”

“I’d like to understand.  If you feel you ever need to talk, let me know.”

“You’re amazing, Robert.  I can’t believe it’s only been a week.  I feel like I’ve known you for years.” Aaron was blushing.  “Too mushy?”

“I feel the same, Aaron.”  He kissed him.  “Let me show you.”  He pulled him on top of him. 

 

Aaron had to leave early the next morning in case Bex turned up with Lily.   They arranged to meet again on Thursday at Robert’s flat.    All he could think about on the drive back to the village was how perfect the last 24 hours had been.   His relationship with Alex paled into insignificance when he thought about the intensity of his feelings for Robert.     He’d even mentioned how he would love to get to know Lily more.

By Wednesday morning, he’d started to count down the hours until the following day, but his thoughts were interrupted by a message alert.

_Aaron, have to cancel tomorrow.  Will call to explain later. X_

 

Of course, he was disappointed but he knew it must be something important that Robert couldn’t put off.   But, as the afternoon progressed, the doubts started to creep in.    Had he done something to put Robert off?  Maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned about getting to know Lily.   Even worse, perhaps Robert was realising he’d made a mistake. 

By 5pm, there’d been no call so he decided to bite the bullet.   He rang twice but there was no answer, so he texted for Robert to call him back.   Hours went by with no return call.    The pints weren’t helping ease his paranoia, in fact it made things ten times worse.

He finally managed to get through to Robert at 10pm.

“Robert, are you okay?  If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were sacking me off.”  The beer was fuelling his need for answers.

“Aaron, can I call you back?  Now’s not a good time.”

“When is a good time?  I’ve been waiting all day for you to call me back.”

“Not now, Aaron.  Just give me a few days.”

“A few days?  What for… to work out how you can dump me.”

“I can’t do this right now.”

“Look, let’s not do this ever.”   Aaron huffed down the phone before he heard a voice at the other end.

“Rob, will you be long?”  a woman asked in the background.

“Have you got someone there with you?  Is that why you cancelled?   I can’t believe I’ve been such a mug.”  Aaron ranted, not giving Robert a chance to reply.

“Aaron, I can’t do this.   I need to go.”  The line suddenly went dead…

 

Aaron could barely sleep that night.   He needed answers and that’s what he was going to get.  As soon as he could get away from the garage that afternoon, he drove over to Robert’s flat to confront him, finally making it there by 4pm. 

He pressed the buzzer repeatedly but there was no answer.    Eventually the door was buzzed open by the concierge.  

“If you’re looking for Mr Sugden, he’s moved out.   The removal van arrived this morning and left with all his furniture.”   The young man explained.

Aaron shook his head.  “It doesn’t make any sense.  I didn’t know he was moving out.”

“We didn’t either.  He handed his notice at lunchtime, saying he was ending his contract for the flat.”

“Do you have a forwarding address for him?”

“He just left his business office address.”

“Was he with anyone this morning?”

“Yeah, with Lily and a dark-haired woman.   Very pretty.   She’s here quite a bit.”

“Thanks…”  Aaron could feel a panic attack coming on.    He headed to his car, his breathing and heart rate increasing by the minute.   He slammed the door shut, buried his head into the steering wheel before the tears started to fall…


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter, setting up the next part of the story...

Aaron eventually made it back to the Woolpack by 7pm.  Totally forgetting about Alex’s party, he headed through the back room to grab a beer from the fridge.    His hopes of numbing his devastation were soon dashed by the arrival of his mum.

“What are you doing through here?  The party’s through there.”  She jokingly pointed through to the bar.

“I’m not in the mood.”  He grumped back.

“I can see that but you promised, Aaron.”  Her tone changed to one of annoyance. 

“I’m having a few beers and then going to bed.” 

“What’s up with you.   Bad day at the garage?”

“No, I’ve been off work.  Stop pecking my head.   I just want to be left alone to drink these.”

“God, I don’t know what to do about you sometimes.   Maybe getting back with Alex would cheer you up.”

He shot up out of the chair.  “I thought you were backing off.   You’ll never learn, will you.”  He shouted at her, as he stormed upstairs, grabbing a bottle of whisky and slamming the door on the way out.

 

It soon became obvious that his quiet night wasn’t going to happen.     An hour and half a bottle of whisky later, his mum appeared at his bedroom door.

“Aaron, I need a favour.   Can you change a barrel?  There’s no one else to do it and I’ve sprained by wrist.   Once you’ve done this, I’ll leave you alone.”

He sighed at the request.  “Ok, but please leave me in peace after this.”  He wasn’t happy.

 

Moments later, as he descended the stairs, he heard a click and clunk as the door was locked behind him.

“what the hell?” 

He looked over as he got to the bottom of the stairs and couldn’t believe it when he saw Alex sitting smiling him from the random sofa that had been dumped in the cellar for the past few weeks.

“Hi.”  He said sheepishly. 

“what are you doing here?”

“Your mum thought we could do with a chat.”

“What about?”  Aaron asked, clearly in no mood for one.

“About us!”

“There is no ‘us’, I keep telling you and mum that, but no-one seems to listen.”

“What did I do, Aaron?  What was so bad going out with me?”

“How many times have I explained… there’s no spark.   I don’t fancy you.”

Alex pleaded with him.  “Give us a chance.  The spark will come with time.”

“No, it won’t.   You’re making a fool of yourself, Alex.  Tell mum, that we’re done here and we can get out of here.” 

 

Alex didn’t move or call out, so Aaron decided to act, heading up the stairs to get someone to open the door.    He could feel a panic attack coming on again, his heart was starting to race and he felt dizzy.    He felt trapped.

His attempts to attract attention was soon interrupted by Alex’s accusation.  “You’ve been cheating on me.  Who’s this?”  He held up the phone, which Aaron had accidentally left on the sofa.

“You’re reading my messages.  Give me the phone.”  Aaron descended the stairs, approaching Alex, his patience wearing thin.  Luckily he hadn’t put Robert’s name in the contacts list and there was no names mentioned in the texts.

“Who is he?”

“None of your business.  We were over before it started.”  Aaron fired back.

“We’ve only been over for a week.  How long has this been going on?   It’s longer than a week.  These texts are very familiar and x-rated for someone you’ve known for a week.”

Aaron didn’t mean to turn nasty but Alex was winding him up.  “Maybe, there’s a spark between us.”

Alex fought back.  “He’s dumped you, hasn’t he?  That’s why you’re here with me and not with him.  He’s got bored with you.  He probably couldn’t put up with the constant misery.  I’m not sure how I could to be honest.   You’re a basket case, Aaron.”  

Alex threw the phone on the floor before stamping on it, breaking it into pieces.  “This phone is just like your new fella – gone.”

Aaron turned his back, determined not to react.   He walked a few steps, his panic rising further, his head pounding, his breathing become more difficult.    He needed to get out.

All of a sudden, he felt a hand on his arm, pulling him around forcefully.   The next few seconds changed everything.   Without thinking, he reacted, smacking Alex in the face with some force.

 

Event soon took over, Chas and some other Dingles rushing into the room.    “Aaron, what the hell is wrong with you?”  She looked at him with such disappointment. 

He couldn’t even defend himself, his panic attack leaving him feel numb, unable to function.

There was blood everywhere as Cain ushered Alex upstairs to take him to hospital. 

 

The next few hours, the Dingles crowded around him in back room, questioning what happened, what had made him snap.    He didn’t answer except to say he didn’t know.  He just wanted all of this to be over.    The verdict was soon in as Cain called to say that Alex had a broken nose and would need surgery to have it fixed.   Aaron just wanted to curl up on his bed and shut himself away from everyone, from everything.

 

“Alex has reported you to the police for assault.  They’re on their way to arrest you.”  Chas explained.  “We’ll get you a lawyer but even they may have problems getting you off.”

Aaron snapped.  “Don’t bother, I’ll be pleading guilty.”   He knew he had no choice, there was no defence for what he’d done and they wouldn’t believe his version of events when compared to the story of a perfect, upstanding medical professional like Alex.

He appeared in court the next day and delivered his guilty plea, much to the horror of the Dingles, who felt they could get him off on a lesser sentence.     As he managed to show remorse at the sentencing hearing, he was given three months and a hefty fine.

The question was - how was he going to cope behind bars…


	10. Chapter 10

For the first five weeks in prison, Aaron turned down every visitor request that came in but then his worries about Liv became too much.    He hadn’t spoken to her in weeks and didn’t even know if she was in Dublin still or had come back to Emmerdale.  There’d been no visitor requests from her, so he guessed Sandra still had her.

He could have quite happily avoided the rest of his family for the remainder of his time inside, but Liv was the innocent party in all of this.  Just over a year ago, he’d met Liv for the first time at the solicitors after news came out about Gordon’s death; a death that was to be celebrated as far as Aaron was concerned.   Liv had no idea what a monster her dad was and Aaron was determined to keep it that way.  In fact, no-one knew what a monster he had been.

He and Liv had hit it off big time and whilst she had been a handful over the past few months after her and Gabby decided it would be cool to experiment with alcohol.   The problem that Liv didn’t know when to stop and this had led to her flunking all of her GCSE’s, leaving her with the only option of doing an access course at college.

 

This particular morning, Aaron had decided to bite the bullet and allow his mum to come and visit.  He looked in the mirror and wondered if he could cover up the black eye, but she spotted it immediately along with his wincing as he walked, giving away his bruised ribs.

“Aaron, what’s happened?”  She got up out of her chair as he approached, only to be told to sit down by one of the prison guards.

“Nothing… it’s not important.”  He tried to fend off her concern as the last thing he needed were the inmates seeing him mum make a fuss.

“It doesn’t look like nothing.   Is someone hurting you in here?”

“Mum, this is prison and I’m gay… do I need to spell it out for you?  It’s not that bad… I can handle it.”   He lied, not being hassled with the interrogation.

He finally managed to get her to back off, but then she started on his lack of communication.  “So why wouldn’t you have visitors?  Do you know how worried we’ve all been?”  She ranted at him.

“I just wanted to be left alone to serve my sentence and I knew you would go over the top about how I look.   Anyway, I’ve spoken to my solicitor and I’ll be out in a week on licence due to prison overcrowding.”

She smiled.  “That’s amazing news.”

“How’s Liv?  Has she been in touch?”  he asked, desperate for an update.

“Yeah she’ll be back on Tuesday so I’ll keep an eye on her for a few days before you get home.   Sandra wasn’t happy about her coming back but agreed because she’s enrolling on a college course next week.  But she said any sign of trouble and she’ll have her back in Dublin on the first flight.   Prepare yourself though, Liv is devastated about you and Alex breaking up.  She really liked him.”

“I’ll make it up to her.   Is Alex okay?”  he asked, more out of obligation than interest.

“His nose is fine, in fact, I think it looks better than it did before.   He’s even willing to give you a chance to explain what happened.”

Aaron’s face dropped.  “Look, I’m sorry I hit him but I just want to forget it happened.  I’ve done my time so I’m not going to dig it all up again.   It’s over as far as I’m concerned.”

“But this is your chance to make up with him.  He was really hurt when he found out you cheated on him.    Anyway, since it didn’t work out with that bloke, you could maybe give it another go with Alex.”

Aaron shook his head angrily.  “Mum, don’t you get it?  If you hadn’t have tried to matchmake us, I wouldn’t have hit him.  You just wouldn’t leave well alone.” 

She became defensive at him placing blame.  “Well, if you hadn’t cheated, then all of this wouldn’t have happened.  I hope this bloke was worth chucking it all away for.   He must’ve been amazing in bed.” 

Aaron glared at her.  “I don’t want to talk about it.”  

The bell soon sounded to indicate the end of visiting.   

He got up.  “Thanks for coming, mum.    I’ll see you on Thursday.”  He quickly hugged her before heading off.

 

The following day, he received a request from Paddy to visit.   He wasn’t in the mood for another lecture and since his mum and Paddy were now dating, he expected him to back her.  But he needed to see another familiar face so he agreed.

“Thought you might like a visitor.”  Paddy announced as Aaron approached the table.

“No.”  Aaron took a seat and looked away.

“So why didn’t you turn down my visit request?  I could’ve saved myself some time and petrol.”  Paddy tried to make light of the situation.   “So shall we just sit here quietly.  I can do that.  But if you do want to talk.”

Aaron looked at him. “Which I don’t.”

“I know what you’re like when you bottle things up.”  Paddy commented.  “But you can trust me.  It won’t go any further.”

Paddy waited a few minutes before the silence started to get on his nerves.  “If you don’t tell me, I can’t help me.”

“You can’t help me anyway.”  Aaron started to open up a little.

“Well, I’ll just listen then.”

Aaron took a deep breath and nodded before slowly opening up.   “There was a bloke.”

“is this the your mum keeps going on about?”

“Yeah… we met a few days before I broke up with Alex, and I can’t explain but we just hit it off.   One thing led to another and it was going so well.  I felt like I’d known him for ages.”

“So what happened?”

“We were meant to be meeting up at his flat… on that Thursday.  But I got a text the day before to say he couldn’t meet.  He didn’t say why so I started to worry.  I called him… he didn’t answer the first few times, but then he did.  And I wish he hadn’t, Paddy.  He was really weird, a different person, his voice was dead.  He wouldn’t tell me what was happening and said he would call back.   We started to row and then I heard a woman, calling for him.   I accused him of cheating and he didn’t deny it.”

Paddy listened intently not interrupting.

“It’s just I need to know what happened and why he did it.”  Aaron paused.

“Do you want my advice?”

Aaron didn’t give him a chance and commented.  “You think I should bail.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt, Aaron.   You’ve been hurt enough over the years.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Well you will be if you forget about him.”

“I can’t.”  Aaron replied with brutal honesty.

Paddy leant forward across the table.   “What’s so special about this one.   You really like him?”

Aaron nodded, his eyes welling up. 

“Is it more than that?”  Paddy was shocked.  “Do you love him?”

He nodded, more firmly this time.  Paddy sat back taking it all in.

After a few minutes, Paddy started up again.  “Does he know how you feel?  Have you told him?”

“What do you think?  We’d only been seeing each other for a week.”

“Maybe he feels the same way.”

“Well obviously he doesn’t or he wouldn’t have done a bunk with a woman.”  Aaron was clearly emotional.

“So maybe you have no choice but to let him go.  I know it’s hard to hear but maybe it’s the only way.”

Aaron knew he was right.

 

The day of release finally came, the chance to escape from the hell-hole he’d spent the past six weeks in.   He took a deep breath as he stepped out of the confines of the prison, into the fresh September air.   

“Hiya.”  Paddy hugged him, grabbing his bag off him.

“Where’s Liv?”  Aaron asked as he climbed in the car, worried that she wasn’t speaking to him due to Alex.

“Don’t worry, she’s fine.   She’s on babysitting duties.”

Aaron smiled, knowing how much she loved looking after Freya for Andy and Katie.  It had helped her focus on college, giving her the incentive to pass her access exams so she could go on the childcare course the following year.

  
They were soon pulling up outside the Woolpack.   Aaron grabbed his bag and headed over to the park where Liv was hanging out with Freya.    He caught sight of her with Freya, but then noticed a smaller and familiar child, sitting on the roundabout.

He raced over to Liv, hugging her tightly, but slightly distracted by the presence of Lily.   “I’ve missed you.”

She smiled at him.  “I can’t trust you to keep out of trouble when I’m away, can I?” 

Lily and Freya ran up to him.   “Aaron…”  They shouted in unison, mimicking Liv by hugging him.

 

Liv pointed over to the pagoda.  “Let’s have a seat while those two play.   We’ve got so much to catch up on, including why you broke up with Alex.  I’m not happy about that.”  smiling at him.

He took a seat, wondering where Robert was.  “Why have you got Lily?”

“How do you know, Lily?”

“She visited with her dad back in July.” 

“Well, Robert’s dumped her on Vic for a few days, even made her go to Leeds Airport to pick her up yesterday.   She has to work so she begged me to take her.  She’s so cute and it makes my job easier because they keep each other occupied as you can see.”

Aaron probed carefully.  “The airport?  How random!”

“Yeah they’d just flown in after spending six weeks in Australia.”  Liv explained, leaving Aaron secretly shocked and even more confused.

He took the opportunity to find out more when Lily took a seat next to him to have a drink.  “Where’s your dad?”

“He’s spending the day with Auntie Clare, sorting some stuff out.   He’s coming back for me later tonight.” 

Aaron felt as though he’d been stabbed in the gut.  Robert had obviously been in Australia with Lily and his girlfriend for the past six weeks.   How could he be so stupid to fall for him…


	11. Chapter 11

Aaron couldn’t believe it when Cain told him he expected him to be back at work the following day plus the added bonus of being on-call immediately as he was taking Moira out for the night. 

He found himself having some tea with Paddy in a booth at the pub.   “Thanks for picking me up today.”

“It’s fine.   My pleasure.  How’s Liv?  Giving you a hard time?”

“Not too bad although she thinks I’m an idiot but at least she doesn’t get over-involved like mum and the rest of the Dingles.”

“Did you have a think about our conversation the other day?”

“Yeah I’ve decided to leave well alone.   He’s not worth it.”  He explained, even more angry since he’d found out that Robert had apparently been swanning around Australia without the decency of telling him.

Liv was in the back room watching a film with Freya and Lily.

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Robert, who picked Aaron out the crowd within seconds.   He offered a conciliatory smile, clearly unaware of the reception he would be getting.    Paddy noticed the non-verbal exchange and looks immediately.

Aaron excused himself quickly, needing to get out of the room.  “I’ll just be a minute.”

He went into the toilets, put on the tap and started to splash cold water on his face to try and calm himself down.   He didn’t think Robert would have the guts to follow him in but he was wrong.

“Aaron.”  Robert came in and whispered in his hushed voice.  “How are you doing? Vic told me you’d ended up in prison.   I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.  I’ve missed you.”   Aaron couldn’t believe it when Robert started to invade his personal space, clearly after some affection.

Aaron pushed him away forcefully.  “What the hell are you playing at?”  He was seething.

“No… I’m glad you’re out.   I couldn’t believe it when Vic told me.”

“I shouldn’t have been there in the first place.  If you hadn’t have buggered off, then I wouldn’t have hit Alex.”

Robert defended himself.  “I’m sorry but I don’t get it.  I didn’t dump you.  I thought we could carry on now I’m back in the village.   I’ve bought the Mill and I’m moving in tomorrow.”  He hoped the news would thaw Aaron a little and show him he was serious about them.

“Or maybe you’re just trying to mess with my head… again.  To show me that the great Robert Sugden still has the power.”

“I swear I’m not.  I get that you haven’t heard from me for weeks, but I did try to get in contact with you.   Something came up.”

“Yeah of course it did.”  Aaron announced through gritted teeth.

“Aaron, why are you being like this?”

“Because I’ve been through hell and back because of you.  And just to make it perfectly clear… I hate you and nothing you say or do is ever going to change that.”   He didn’t even give Robert a chance to reply, almost taking out Paddy as he left the toilets.

 

Paddy nervously approached Robert who was ashen white, clearly in a state of shock by whatever Aaron had said to him.

Paddy had a crazy idea, something didn’t sit right here and it needed sorting out. 

“I’m probably making a complete fool of myself here and I’m reaching… but I thought you should know he’s on call tonight.  So maybe you could drive to the middle of nowhere and fake a breakdown… just a thought.”  He suggested.

He left Robert, speechless and totally confused.   “Thanks.”  Were the only words he could mutter.

An hour later, Aaron was slumped in his chair whilst Paddy tried to make conversation.  “You’re just  full of conversation tonight.”

“Yeah well… I’m not in the mood.”

“Clearly.”  He joked, just as Aaron’s phone bleeped.

He watched Aaron’s face fall even further as he read the message.  “Got a call-out.  Some bloke has broken down in the middle of nowhere.  Probably ran out of petrol.    Look I’ll see you tomorrow as this could be a late one.”

 

It took twenty minutes to reach the stranded vehicle, just outside of Robbesfield.  The bloke couldn’t have picked a quieter area if he’d tried.    As he approached, he realised that he’d seen this SUV before.

He got out, ready to have it out.   “You’re really starting to annoy me now.”  he shouted as he saw Robert climbing out.

“We need to talk.  This is all a mess and I need to explain.”

“There’s nothing you could say that I would be remotely interested in.”

“Give me a chance to explain.” 

Aaron was about to turn and go, but realised he deserved an explanation, no matter how painful it was..   “Ok, let’s hear it… all of it.  Tell me every detail of your holiday with the girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?”  Robert was puzzled.  “I don’t have one.”

“Clare?”

“Clare is my solicitor.  She was sorting out some legal things for me.  I’ve known her for years.  She’s married…”

“Never stopped you before.”  Aaron interrupted angrily.

“She’s married to Joanne.  I did try to call you before I went to Australia, just before we boarded the plane and then when we got there, but your phone was disconnected.”

“It broke when Alex stamped on it.    Why didn’t you just tell me on Tuesday that you were going abroad.  Don’t tell me it was last minute.”

“Actually it was.”  It was started to rain.   Robert made a suggestion.  “Can we talk in my car?   If you give me a chance, I’ll tell you everything.  I need you, Aaron.   I can’t deal with all this alone.” 

The clear emotion and pain in his face made Aaron agree.   “All what?”

They climbed in and Robert began his story…

“So late Tuesday night, Clare arrives at my flat unannounced.   She’s looks awful, so she comes in and breaks some news that changes everything.    Rebecca, Chrissie, Lawrence and Lachlan were in a hire car driving from the airport in Ibiza to the resort.   Lawrence lost control of the car, plunging them off a cliff.”

Aaron was speechless.  “Oh my god.  Are they alright?”

“No…”  Robert stuttered, reliving it all again.   “No, they all died immediately; turns out the police think Lawrence had a heart attack and lost control.”  He started to cry.

Aaron turned, putting his arm around him.   “How’s Lily coping?”

“Luckily that night, she didn’t overhear Clare and me.   I sent her to school the next morning as there was quite a bit to sort out, as I was next of kin.  Anyway, when I dropped her off, two mums came up to me to pass on their condolences.   The news was all over Facebook.    I didn’t want Lily finding out through playground gossip so I took her out of school and as far away as possible.”

“Well, you can’t get much further than Australia.”   Aaron didn’t know what else to say.

“I planned to stay a week or so, just so I could break the news to her without any interruptions.  I didn’t go to the funeral because I needed to protect Lily.” 

“So how did she take it?”

“That’s the thing.   One week turned into six and she was having such an amazing time, I kept putting off telling her.”

“You still haven’t told her, have you?”

“I can’t do it, Aaron.  She’s only got me now.   How can I be enough?”

“You are enough, Robert.  You’ve got family here.  You’re moving back so Lily can get to know your family more.”

“I bought the Mill just after you left on the Tuesday.   And that wasn’t just to be close to family, I wanted to be close to you.    I’d heard Jimmy and Nicola talking about how they needed to move quickly so I made them an offer via Clare.  I’m not actually sure they know it’s me buying it.”

“I’m not going anywhere either.   I’ll be here for you, Robert, as a friend.”

Robert looked hopeful.  “Just as a friend?” 

Aaron didn’t reply, he just leant over and kissed him gently.  “Does that answer your question?”  Things soon became more passionate until Robert pulled back.

“I don’t want to get carried away here.   I would love to get you out of those overalls but I’ve got cramp in my leg.   Can we wait until we have a bit more space?”   He smiled. 

“Of course, we can.   Might be a struggle to wait too long though.”   Aaron kissed him again.   “I’m not leaving you, Robert.  Anything you need, I’ll be here for you.”

Robert pulled away slightly.  “Thank you.   I’m here for you too.  Vic said you’d had a rough time in prison, so if you want to talk about it, I’m not going anywhere this time.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some brief mentions of self harm in this chapter...

They sat in the car for an hour or so, just talking.

“So why Australia?  You could’ve got away without going all that way.”  Aaron asked, still struggling to believe that he and Robert were giving things a go.

“We were actually due to go there for a few weeks over the Summer holidays anyway so I just brought our tickets forward.” 

“It looks like an amazing place.”

“It is.   I’d love to go back sometime.” 

“How does Paddy know about us?”

Aaron looked over puzzled.  “He doesn’t.  I mean I told him about you but I didn’t name you.  I guess he must’ve picked up on my reaction when you came in the pub or even overheard us.”

“You’ll have to thank him as he suggested I fake a breakdown to get you out here.”

 

“So what’s the plan?”  Aaron asked.

“I don’t have one really.   We still need to keep us a secret if that’s okay with you.  I need to break it to Lily about the Whites before I tell her about us.    I’ve spoken to Jessie, you know the headmistress at the school and she’s aware of what’s been happening.   Lily starts there on Monday and she’s going to keep an eye on her.    She can’t wait to tell everywhere we’re moving here.”

“I can’t believe you’re moving back.  Have you seen Andy or Katie yet?”

He shook his head.  “No I keep missing them but no doubt Lily has filled them in on everything.  She spent yesterday afternoon up there to see the horses.”

“You never know, they may be ok with you.  Lily might’ve softened them up.”

“Unlikely.”   Robert smiled.  “Look I’m really sorry but I need to head back so I can get Lily back to the B&B before she flakes out at the pub.   Fancy helping us move into the Mill tomorrow.   I could do with a hand and it won’t look suss.” 

“Yeah why not?”   Aaron kissed him before climbing out.  “I’ll race you back.”  He smiled, looking across at the pick-up truck.

“I think I might win.”

“Can you text me later if you have a new phone yet, just so I can have your new number.”

Aaron nodded and left.

 

When Aaron finally arrived back at the pub, he noticed Robert chatting to Diane as Lily ran around with Freya.  

“I can’t believe you’re moving back. “ His stepmum announced.  “It’ll be great for Lily to grow up here.   Is her mum alright about it?”

He saw Robert freeze, unsure of what to say.  “Yeah I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Aaron was suddenly distracted by Paddy tapping him on the shoulder.  “Come and have a drink?”

He nodded.  “Ok, why not.”

“You seem much chirpier than when you left.  Something happen?”

Aaron smiled. “I think you know what happened.  How did you know?”

“The look between you both when he came in.  I told myself it was impossible because Robert wasn’t gay but then I heard raised voices from the toilets so I took a chance.  It worked.  You’re back together, I take it.

“Well we’re giving it another go if that’s what you mean.   We’ve agreed to take it slow because it’s complicated.   Lily doesn’t know about us and we’ve got stuff to work through.”

“Why did he disappear out of interest?”

Aaron looked around to see if anyone could hear but everyone was absorbed in their own little world.  “This can’t go any further at the minute.   All of Lily’s family on her mum’s side died in a car crash six weeks ago.  Robert panicked and took her on an extended holiday.  He hasn’t told her yet.”

Paddy’s face was shocked.   “I don’t know much about child bereavement but it will be harder the longer he leaves it.”

“He’s arranging for a specialist counsellor to work with her before he breaks the news.   It’s going to be hard whenever he tells her and to be honest, her mum had more or less decided to permanently live in Ibiza.  She didn’t see the other family members very often.   He’s really been a single parent for the past few years.”

“So he’s moving into the Mill, I hear.  Lily told everyone before she was staying in the village.”

“She’s so excited, he said.   Listen, I know you’re with mum but I need you to keep all of this close to your chest.   If we decide to make our relationship more permanent, we’ll announce it but for now, there’s so much for us to work through.”

Paddy looked at him.  “I’m so proud of you, Aaron.  Never thought you would turn out so mature.  You’re not rushing into things.” 

“Thanks, Paddy.  You had a lot to do with that.  You’ve been like a dad to me.”

 

Aaron’s life was finally on up until a chance meeting early the following morning outside the shop.   Alex saw him immediately and came over.  

“Hi.”  Aaron said sheepishly unsure of what else he could say.    “How are you doing?”

“Yeah great.”  Alex fired back, clearly not happy.   He was pouting and huffing like he always did when he was annoyed.

“Look, I know it’s no consolation but I’m sorry for hitting you.”

“Do you know how it’s been since you did that.   I’ve had to take time off work, which has wrecked my promotion chances this year, not to mention the scars that have been left.   You should’ve been in prison a lot longer.”

“It was hell in there.”  Aaron tried reason with him.

“What a shame… poor Aaron.   Well I have to live with my scars for the rest of my life, but then again, you’d know all about that.  But at least, mine weren’t self-inflicted.”

“I don’t get it.  Mum said you were ok.”

“Yeah well, she’s not to blame for having a loser of a son, so why should I take it out on her.  She still thinks we could get back together.   I haven’t had the heart to tell her that it won’t happen.  I like your family and they love me, so why wreck it?””  Alex sneered, clearly trying to score major points against him and it was working.

“Look, I’ll just stay away from you, you stay away from me… deal.”

“I don’t make deals with people like you.  All I’ll say is karma’s a bitch.”  Alex announced, with a definite hint of threat in his comment.  “Maybe you need to watch your back.”

Aaron was left feeling very uneasy…

  



	13. Chapter 13

Robert couldn’t believe his luck the following morning, as one by one, people who had offered to help him move into the Mill had pulled out.   So that left Aaron as the only available pair of hands; hands he had plans for.

Aaron turned up at earlier than planned after he found out that he’d be able to spend the morning alone with his boyfriend.    He had pushed the words of Alex to the back of his mind, he was clearly just venting.   His ex wasn’t a threat.

“Hey.”  Robert said as he looked around, before pulling him in the door into a kiss. 

Aaron finally managed to pull away.  “We’re taking this slow remember.”

“We’ve got an hour before the removal van arrives so I thought we could check out the bedroom.”

“You mean the bedroom floor.”   Aaron smirked.

“Well, the shower works and I brought some towels.”  The ‘going slow’ mantra was soon forgotten as Aaron took the lead, pulling Robert up the spiral staircase so fast they tripped over and ended up in a heap on the landing.

 

An hour later, they were sat on the bench in the Mill Garden waiting for the lorry to arrive. 

“Thanks for helping me save time and water back then.”  Robert grinned.

“I’m just happy to help.”  Aaron rubbed his hand along Robert’s leg.

Robert removed it.  “That’s not a good plan unless you want the delivery men to catch us mid act.”

Just then, they were interrupted by a large van arriving just outside the gate.

“How much stuff have you got?”  Aaron asked, taking in the size of the lorry and the three men that climbed out.

“Just a bit.  I had loads in storage when I moved into my apartment.    A lot of it is Lily’s.  She’s a hoarder.” 

“Likely story.”  

Robert took over directing the men to take the stuff to the right room whilst Aaron unpackaged the sofa and found the kettle so he could make a cuppa for them all. 

 

“You look right domesticated.”   Robert laughed as he watched Aaron working his way around the kitchen.  “I could get used to that.”  He snaked his hands around Aaron, so he was hugging him from the back, mindful that the men were having a break.

He started to get carried away, placing some gentle kisses on the back of Aaron’s neck, not realising they were just about to be interrupted.

They heard someone clear their throat.  “I just came in because the door was open.  I’m interrupting aren’t I?”

Aaron turned around.  “No Paddy, it’s fine.   Just in time for a brew if you want one.”

Paddy nodded totally embarrassed by what he’d seen.  “Ok, if you’re sure.”

Robert smiled.  “Of course, have a seat, Paddy.  I need to thank you for pushing me in the right direction yesterday.”

“If Aaron’s happy, so am I!  I won’t lie that it was a bit of a shock to find out it was you he was seeing, but I can see you’re both serious about giving it a go.   Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.  No-one will be finding out from me.

“Thanks!” 

 

They chatted for a while before Paddy got a call about a distressed cow on a nearby farm.  “Duty calls.   Have fun, boys.”  He went bright red.   “You…know I don’t mean that.”  He stuttered nervously.  “One word of advice though, if you’re keeping this a secret, closing the door may be a good idea.”

“Paddy’s great.”  Robert announced after he’d left.  “He really cares about you, doesn’t he?”

“yeah he’s like my dad.”

 

It took until just after lunch for everything to be unpacked from the van.    “Right, now I just need to unpack everything.   You don’t fancy helping me put the beds together and I promise no funny business.   Lily needs her bed tonight and so do I.  I’ve never been any good at putting things together.”

“Okay, I suppose I can.   But stay out of my way as I can’t deal with you standing over me.”

“How about I go and pick Lily up from Diane’s.   I’ll  bring some sandwiches and we can have lunch together.   I’ll be back in an hour.

“Well I should have one done by then.  I hope Lily likes me.”

“I hope so because I thought you might like to spend quite a bit of time here.   Once she’s settled, maybe we could go public, if that’s what you want.”  He suggested nervously.

“I would love that.”  Aaron kissed him on the forehead.  “But we do need to accept the possibility that Lily doesn’t like me, and she has to come first.   I hate to ask but when are you planning to break the news about the Whites.”

“I’ve got a meeting with a grief counsellor in Leeds on Monday.  She’s going to give me some ideas on how to handle it and maybe see Lily for some sessions if she needs it.  I’m dreading it, Aaron.  I should’ve told her straightaway.”

“You’re only human, Rob and it’s such a hard thing to deal with.  Maybe if she gets more secure by having family around her, it’ll help.  I think she’ll love it here.”

“Look I’ll go and get her.  I’ll be an hour or so.”   He kissed him goodbye.

 

Robert knocked on Diane’s door.   “Hi, hope she hasn’t been too much bother.”

She looked guilty. “Actually, I should’ve told you but Doug’s taken her up to see Freya at Wiley’s.  I’ll ask him to bring her back.  I thought you’d be longer than this.”

“No, actually, Aaron helped out so we got sorted quite quickly.   It’s probably a blessing as I have to face Andy and Katie at some point, I can’t keep avoiding them forever.”

 

Robert made the ten minute drive up to Wiley’s, unsure of the reception he would get, however he knew it wouldn’t be positive.

He pulled up and saw Andy working in the distance unloading the tractor.    

“Andy, long time no see.”  He shouted over, waiting for the comeback… but it never came.

Andy managed a half smile.  “Yeah it has been a while.   Been avoiding me?”

“No, it’s just been crazy with the move and all that.”  Robert took the plunge and pulled his brother into a loose hug.  “I’ve missed you… well a bit.”

“You don’t have to lie, Rob.”   Andy smiled back.

“Where’s Lily?  Is she driving you mad?”

“No, she’s adorable.   I’ve never seen Freya so excited about someone moving into the village.  How did you manage to have such a lovely child?   Must be her mum’s genes.”

“Yeah something like that.”

“She’s with Katie in the riding paddock.  I think she was keen to have a go but I said we needed to wait until we got your permission.” 

Robert nodded.  “It’s fine by me.”

 

They walked the short distance to the paddock.  “This is a nice place you’ve got here.  It used to be such a dump.”

“Yeah it’s taken over two years to get it like this but you know, it was always my dream to own a farm and Katie’s got the stables so it’s perfect.   It’s been a hard slog but we’ve got there.”

“I’m impressed.”

“So what do you do?   A rich businessman… no doubt.  The Mill came at a price, I bet.”

“I used to sell agricultural equipment for Lily’s grandad but I’m not working now.  I’m taking a few months off to settle Lily in.”  He wasn’t lying as Lawrence’s business was being sold on.  There was the option of taking over running it but he wanted to make a clean break for Lily’s sake.  The last thing he wanted to do was to be travelling all over the country when his daughter needed him.

 

Robert could see the guarded look on Katie’s face as they approached her.  “Hi Robert.” 

“Hi Katie, how are you?”

“Curious….”

“Let me finish the sentence for you.”  He smiled.  “You’re going to ask me how Lily could have a dad like me.”

That broke the ice, even Katie managed a smirk.   “Yeah, so how exactly did that one happen?”

“Long story and before you ask, I’m not back to cause trouble.   My life’s changed a lot and I’ve got Lily to thank for that.  So, can we have a fresh start?  The three of us.  Can we get on for Lily and Freya?”

Katie nodded.  “Yes, that would be the best thing.  We don’t need them dragged into our mud-slinging.  Lily’s welcome here anytime.” 

“Same with Freya.  So I hear she wants to ride.   She can if you think she’ll be ok.”  The overprotective dad was soon becoming evident.

“She’ll be fine.   I’ve got the perfect pony for her to try.” 

 

Lily lapped up her first ride, bubbling with excitement as Katie led her around the paddock.   Robert looked at her with pride and just knew he’d made the right decision to move…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst coming up... Will try and update in the next few days depending on work.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been ages for an update. Had a block but sorted now :)

Robert looked at his watch and realised he’d been away ages.  He texted Aaron to explain and was met with a reply saying to take his time.

He finally managed to extract Lily from Wiley’s with the promise of returning the favour by having Freya at the Mill the following day.   He didn’t realise how nice it would be feel to be getting on with Katie and Andy.   He was still waiting for them to bring up the past, but they hadn’t.

“Lily, we’ve just got to pop into the shop and then we’re having a guest for lunch.” 

“Who?”

“Aaron.  He’s been really nice and put our beds together.”

“I can’t wait to see my room.”  She announced excitedly.

 

They arrived back at the Mill to find some banging from upstairs as well as some raised voices. 

“I told you did it wrong.”  A female was losing patience quickly.

Curious, Robert climbed the stairs to find Aaron and his sister arguing over the instructions.   “What’s happening here?”  he asked.

“My sister thinks she can put a bed together better than me.”

Liv lost it.  “So why did you text me to come over and help?  I was quite happy hanging out with Gabby until you begged me to come.”

Robert tried to break up the spat.  “Listen, why don’t you both take a break.  We’ve got enough food to feed the five thousand.”

 

Liv smiled.  “I’m starving.”  She headed downstairs with Lily, followed by Robert and Aaron.

They all sat chatting away, and it was pretty obvious that Lily had taken shine to Liv. 

“If you ever need a babysitter, let me know.”  Liv directed her comment at Robert as she helped take the dishes through to the kitchen.  “I’m only part time at college so I’ve got plenty of time on my hands.”

“That would be great, Liv.    I’ll pay you, of course.”

“I would do it for free but I’m trying to save up for driving lessons since my stingy brother won’t fund it.”  She said loud enough for Aaron to hear.

“I heard that.”

Robert interrupted.  “Maybe he could take you out in his car.”  
  
She shook her head and laughed.  “I don’t think that’ll be happening anytime soon.  You’ve just seen what happens when I try to help him put a bed together.  How do you think we’d be in a car together?”

“Not a good plan then.”  He smirked.

 

They spent the next hour chatting away over lunch until Lily convinced Liv to come and help her unpack her stuff in the bedroom, leaving the washing up to the boys.

Robert moaned.  “I can’t wait until the dishwasher gets connected.  I’m not cut out for this type of manual work.”  

“I’m sure you can slum it for a few days.    What are your plans for this place?”

“I don’t know yet.   I’ve got Ellis coming round tomorrow to discuss a gym for one of the spare rooms.    I need to get in shape.”

Aaron smiled suggestively.   “I think you’re in pretty good shape and I’m sure I could help you out with a workout or two.”   He kissed him, pushing him back against the bench.  

Robert was getting lost in the kiss, before pulling back and just blurting it out.  “Aaron, I think I love you.” 

Aaron pulled back even further, shock registered all over his face.   “Do you mean that?”

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t.”

“Say it again.”  

“I love you.”  Robert repeated it, but this time slower.    He waited for a response. 

“I love you too.”   He hugged him before Liv suddenly appeared, making them jump apart in case they were caught.    “Aaron, I need to head back now.  I’ve got a ton of work for my maths resit.”

Robert looked over at her.  “If you need any help, I’m good at algebra and probability.”

“That would be amazing.   Aaron’s not much use at maths.” 

“I’ll come with you, Liv.”  Her brother commented.

 

They headed off up the road.    “Robert’s really nice, isn’t he?”  Liv was obviously a fan.

“Yeah he is.”  He replied, trying not to sound too obvious.    

They were just about to go into the pub when Liv took a deep breath and stopped him.

“Lily told me something very interesting.  Apparently he likes men as well as women.” 

Aaron blushed.  “She told me that too.  What makes me think that’s going to be all over the village within weeks.”

“So…”

Aaron looked at her.   “So?”

“You’re single now and you get on with him.    He gorgeous and he’s going to help me with my maths.   Why not ask him out?  There’s definitely a spark between you two.”

He tried to deflect the question.  “I thought you were a massive Alex fan.”

“He’s so yesterday.    I have to be honest, I found him a bit boring as well.   He was nice to me but he did drone on a lot.   I didn’t say anything because he treated you so well and you seemed happy with him.”

“Liv, I was bored stiff.  I think the only reason I agreed to out with him was because everyone told me how stupid I would be to turn him down.   We have nothing in common.”

“Well why don’t you think about what I said about Robert.  No pressure.”  

“I will.”  He playfully punched her on her shoulder.

They headed into the pub, totally unaware that Alex had been just around the corner, and had overheard everything.

 

Robert spent the afternoon, unpacking the rest of his things.    Lily hadn’t let up since Aaron and Liv had left. 

“But he looks lonely.    He likes boys, you like boys so.”

“So what?”

“Why don’t you ask him on a date?”

“Lily, sometimes I think you’re six going on sixteen.   You shouldn’t be worrying about me.   I’ll find the right person when I’m ready.  You’re the most important person in my life.”

She was now in full adult conversational flow.    “But I’m going to be busy now we live here.  I’ve got Freya and loads of family to spend time with.    I’m happy here and I want you to be happy here.   Aaron’s nice and Liv’s even nicer.   I would love a big sister like her.”

He laughed.  “Lily, you would think Aaron me and me are getting married the way you’re talking.   Slow down a bit.   I do like him but I’m not really looking for a husband or wife at the moment.”

She looked deflated.

“Look, why don’t we spend some time with them both and see what happens.”   He suggested, bringing a big grin to her face.

 

Over the weekend, Aaron and Robert managed to grab some time together while Liv was at Gabby’s and Lily had another riding lesson.   They compared notes about the matchmaking skills of their sister and daughter.

“This could be the perfect chance to make a proper go of things.   This could be easier than we both thought.     I don’t care what the rest of the village thinks as long as we have Liv and Lily onside.” Robert explained as they lay in the newly assembled bed.

“I think we should leave it until after Lily finds out about her mum.    She’s going to need you more than ever.    Do you want support on Monday?   I mean you’re not taking Lily, are you?” 

“No, I’m going to tell her next Friday so she can have the weekend to talk it through and then we’ll have a few sessions with the grief counsellor the following week.   It would be great if you could come along.  I don’t know what to expect.”

“I’ve had counselling over the years and it can really help.   I’m actually seeing a counsellor at the moment, part of my release conditions.   I need to work on my anger issues.”

“Well, I’m here if you need me for anything.”  Robert replied softly.

There was a mischievous glint in Aaron’s eyes.    “I can think of something.”  He climbed on top of the other man…


	15. Chapter 15

Robert and Aaron should’ve been suspicious at the whispering going on during a visit to the Mill, and even more so, when Lily invited Liv to spend the night watching movies.

Aaron headed down the Mill with Liv, thinking he would grab a cuppa with Robert.

The giggling started as soon as Lily saw Liv.

“What’s going on?”

Liv took a deep breath.   “Well, you two are heading out for a meal to that new italian’s by the hospital.  We booked you a table and we’ve ordered you a taxi in ten minutes.  It’s quite retro so you’re not expected to get dressed up.”

Robert was amazed.  “How can you afford that, Liv?”

“You’re paying for it.  We just arranged it.  Figured you two could do with some time alone.”  She explained.

Aaron rolled his eyes.  “I knew there’d be a catch.    Thank you!”

Lily smiled.  “Aaron, daddy wants you to be his boyfriend.”

“Does he now?”  he looked over at a bright red Robert. 

 

They headed out when they heard the taxi beeping outside and were soon sat in quiet corner of the restaurant.   “I can’t believe those two arranged all of this for us.”

“Me neither.   They’re keen on us giving it a go, aren’t they?”   Robert commented.

“So why don’t we take advantage of this.”   Aaron suggested.

“In what way?”

“I know you wanted to wait but why don’t we just tell them the truth.  I mean, can Lily keep her mouth shut?”

“Yeah, if I bribe her with enough sweets and pizza.”  Robert laughed.   “Ok, let’s do it.”

 

Liv and Lily were watching Frozen when they arrived back. 

“Have a good night?”  Liv asked looking over the back of the sofa where her and Lily had built a duvet fortress complete with drinks and popcorn.

“Yeah, thanks for booking it.”  Aaron walked over to her.

Lily was excited.  “Daddy, is Aaron your boyfriend yet?”

He looked over at him for final agreement from Aaron.    He nodded back.

“Sit down, we need to have a chat with you both.”  Robert took a seat on one of the chairs, as Aaron sat opposite.  “If it’s ok with you both, we’re dating.”

Lily got up and hugged Aaron.  “Does that mean Liv is my sister?”

“No squirt.”  Liv smiled at her.  “It might be a bit early for that.  They’ve only been dating for five minutes.”

“Actually, we’ve been seeing each other for almost two months.”  Robert explained, immediately clocking Liv’s shock.  “We met at the library in the summer holidays and we started dating then.”

There was silence until Lily grinned.  “Does that mean you’re getting married?  Can I be a flower girl?”

“Calm down, Lil.”  Robert placed her on his lap.   “It might be a bit soon for that.”

“You could ask him.” 

Robert was embarrassed, noticing Aaron was coy too.   “Maybe one day, but it’s still early days.” 

Aaron noticed Liv, looking distracted.   “Are you ok with this?”

“Yeah of course.  You could’ve just told me.  I really like him.”  She whispered.  “And I love spending time with Lily.”

 

Aaron and Liv headed back to the Woolpack at 11pm, the walk back offered her the chance to grill him.    “You’re keen, aren’t you?”

“Yeah… I am.   I’m pleased you’re fine with it.”

She smirked.  “Alex or Robert?  Hmm… hard choice.   Did you cheat on Alex with him?”

“Well, maybe for a few days.   I broke up with him as soon as I knew it was heading somewhere with Robert.    I would’ve ended it with Alex anyway, the moment he suggested moving in with him.  He made me feel trapped.”

“I think you made the right choice and Lily’s over the moon.” 

“She seems to be.  Look, can we keep this between us?”

Liv nodded.  “of course.”

“There’s something else as well.   Lily’s family… died a few weeks ago.”

Liv couldn’t believe, leaving her almost speechless.   “What all of them?   How?  When?”

“In a car crash in Ibiza about six weeks ago.  It was her mum, uncle, grandad and cousin.  Rob hasn’t told her yet.    He meant to but couldn’t bring himself to.   He’s set up grief counselling for and he’s going to tell her next week, so she will need a friend.”

“I can’t believe it.  Of course, I’ll be there for her.”  She hugged him.  “I’m so glad I’ve got you.”

 

The following morning, Aaron went around to see where Robert and Lily were.  He found them at the playground.  She smiled and ran over to him, hugging him tightly. 

“Being subtle as usual, Lil.”  He smirked over to Robert.   She let go of him and headed back to the swing.   “I don’t think she’s going to keep quiet for long.” 

“You know what… I don’t really care what anyone else thinks, so if it gets out.. it gets out.”  Robert explained.   “She will keep quiet, I think.”

“Look, why don’t we have lunch together… at the pub.  My shout.”  Aaron was upbeat.  “If people get used to us hanging together as friends, there shouldn’t be much of a surprise when we announce being a couple, although they may struggle with the fact that a lady’s man like you is suddenly gay.” He announced, realising his mistake. 

Robert reacted.   “I’m not gay though.  I’m bi… remember.”  

“My mistake. You really can’t cope with people saying you’re gay.   Need to keep the reputation eh…”  Aaron joked.

He smiled.  “Yeah, something like that.   You’re the only guy for me… Aaron.   I meant it when I said I loved you.”

 

Chas was manning the bar when Robert arrived with Lily.   She did a double take when she noticed them taking a seat next to Aaron and Liv.   Aaron got up and headed over to the bar.

“A pint and an orange juice please, mum.  Can we have some menus as well?”

“Since when have you been friends with him?”  She asked suspiciously.

“Since Liv and Lily hit it off big time.   We promised them we would do lunch sometime so here we are.”  He replied in a sarcastic tone.   “We can head to another pub if you like.”

“I don’t trust him, Aaron.   A leopard never changes its spots.” 

“Well, he’s not a leopard, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”  He smirked.  “Can you bring them over?”

She nodded, clearly annoyed.

 

To make matters worse, Alex arrived, propping himself at the bar alongside Zak and Sam, both of whom continued to hang off his every word.    He kept looking over, unsettling Aaron.   They were almost finished their meal when he came over.  “Aaron, can I have a word?”  Alex asked in front of everyone.

Aaron didn’t want to make a scene so agreed.  “Ok…”  he grabbed his pint,  got up and headed over to the bar. 

“Look I’m sorry about my attitude the other day.  We’ve got to live in the same village so let’s just agree to be civil to each other.    Maybe one day we could be friends.”

Aaron was pleased at the peace offering.  “Ok… fine by me.  I am truly sorry about hitting you.” 

“It’s fine.  Let’s move on.”   Lisa and Lydia soon arrived and they were pecking Alex’s head about their latest ailments.   Aaron smiled and excused himself.

“We’ve cleared the air.”  Aaron whispered to Robert. 

 

After lunch, the drinks were flowing as Andy joined them for a drink with Katie along with Leyla and Tracy who joined them uninvited.   Lily and Freya went to head out in the back room while Liv took the opportunity to pop to Gabby’s for a catch up.

 

After an hour or so, Katie looked at her watch.   “Look, we need to head back up the farm with Freya.  Do you want me to take Lily up for her lesson?   Andy can drop her off later.   They booked a joint one.”

“That would be great.”  Robert nodded as his brother and Katie went to retrieve the girls.

That left Tracy and Leyla who had clearly had too much to drink.   Leyla made sure that she was sat right next to Robert, to the complete annoyance of Aaron, who couldn’t say anything. 

Matters came to a head when Leyla followed Robert to the toilet.   After what seemed like forever, Aaron went looking for him, only to find his boyfriend being pinned against the wall by Leyla.   She tutted when she saw him.  “We’re not going to get any privacy here so why don’t we go back to yours.”  She announced brazenly.

Robert pushed her off, watching Aaron’s reaction out of the corner of his eye.  He was clearly not impressed as he stormed off out of the pub.

He let Leyla down gently by telling her he wasn’t interested as nicely as he could.    He went out to look for Aaron who was heading down the street.   

“Right, let’s take this back to the Mill.”   Aaron seethed at him.

 

As soon as the door was shut, Robert started to protest his innocence.  “Nothing happened.” 

Aaron wasn’t listening as he ploughed on with his jealous parade.  “Maybe you were giving her the wrong idea over the drink.   What was all that laughing while I was at the bar.”

“Tracy told a joke and it was funny, so we laughed.  It’s not rocket science, Aaron.  I told you I didn’t do anything.  Do you not believe me?”

“But she practically threw herself at you.” 

“Yeah.”

“Well she must have thought she had a chance.” 

“Aaron, she’s drunk.   I didn’t make her think she had a chance.”

“People are always going to think that they have a chance though.”

“What because I’m bi…?”

“Well at least you said it.”  Aaron fired back angrily.

 

 There was silence for a few moments until Aaron realised he may have overstepped the mark.  “I’m sorry but you won’t talk about it.  You freak every time I mention you’re gay.”

“How many times…  You think the moment the girl offers it on a plate, I’m going to go there.” 

“How should I know?”  Aaron exclaimed.  “You don’t exactly have a good track record.”

“I’m bisexual… I like both.  It doesn’t mean I’m going to cheat.” 

“Well I can’t be both.”

“Obviously.” 

“It’s just confusing.”  Aaron replied.

“No it’s really not.”   Robert didn’t want to argue anymore so he took a deep breath before closing the gap between them.  “Let me make it clearer for you.”  He launched his lips at Aaron who was caught off guard.

Unexpectedly, Aaron pulled away.  “No, I’m not in the mood.   You can’t worm your way out of this one with sex.  I’ll see myself out…”   he strode out of the Mill door without a further word, leaving Robert feeling like he’d been kicked in the stomach.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay in updating.

“What’s with your mood this morning?”  Liv asked Aaron who was groaning over his bowl of cornflakes.  

“Nothing.  Just leave me alone.” 

“How many did you have?” Liv asked, unimpressed by the fact her brother was clearly hung over.

“About three pints.”

“Is that all… lightweight.”  She replied.   “So what’s with the hangover?”

“I didn’t sleep well.   Me and Robert had a fight and it’s been going through my mind all night.”

“So whose fault was it… the fight?”

“Mine, I guess.  Leyla made a move on him and I accused him of leading her on.   I’ve never been out with someone who’s bisexual before and it’s confusing.   I can’t compete with women throwing themselves at him.”

“Have you seen Robert when he’s around you?   He’s mad about you.   So… I think you need to take yourself over to the Mill this morning and sort it out.   I hate to point it out but Lily’s going to find out in a few days about her family, so I think you need to hold it together with Robert.   He needs you, Aaron.”

Aaron just looked at her.  “Are you sure you can’t pile any more guilt on me?”

“I could try.”  She laughed.   “Look, why don’t I come over and offer to take Lily to the park for an hour and you can sort out the mess you’ve made.”

“You’re amazing, Liv.”  He smiled.

 

Robert was banging stuff in the kitchen leaving Lily puzzled.   “What’s up Daddy?”

“Nothing Lil.  Sorry I just didn’t sleep well and I’m tired.   Give me an hour or so to wake up and we’ll pop out.”

There was a knock at the door.   He opened it to find Liv with a grin on her face.    She looked past him, over to Lily.   “Lil, fancy spending an hour at the park?”

Lily was out of her seat immediately.   “yeah… Can I daddy?”

“Yes of course.  Thanks Liv.”

“I’ve brought someone to see you.”   She replied as a sheepish Aaron appeared from behind her.   She took Lily out.

“If you’ve come to have another go, don’t bother.”  Robert announced, not in the mood for another fight.

“I haven’t.   I wanted to say how sorry I am for going off on one last night.  I don’t know what came over me.  This bisexuality stuff is just new to me and I’m feeling like an insecure idiot.” 

“So let’s talk about it and get past this.”  Robert suggested as he pointed to the sofa.

“Ok…”  Aaron took a seat.

“Look, I just want you to know that I’m serious about us.   This is new to me too, Aaron.  I’ve never had this with anyone and I don’t want to chuck it away over some silly argument.   How it is with you… well I’ve never felt that before.”

“Me neither.    I know women are going to chuck themselves at you… I mean who would blame them.”   Aaron joked.

“I was thinking about us announcing that we’re a couple.”

“Is that a good idea with Lily and telling her about Bex?”

“Yes, we’ll wait until after that.   How about we think about it when Lily’s feeling better.  I mean that could take weeks but I don’t mind waiting.”  Robert explained.

“It’s working at the moment so why spoil it?  I still want to come on Monday if you need company.”

“I’d love that.”  He kissed Aaron gently, before applying more pressure.   It didn’t take long for clothes to be flying everywhere. 

“We haven’t got long.”  Robert got up and locked the door, before taking his top and trousers off and joining Aaron on the sofa.

“Well we’d better get on with it.”  Aaron smirked before pulling Robert down on top of him.

 

They all spent the day together, lunch at a country pub before heading to a local animal park.   Liv offered to babysit whilst they headed to the pub that evening with Matty and Vic. 

Robert noticed Leyla looking over at him from the bar.  “Look, I’m going to have a word with her.”

“What’s up with him?” Vic asked Aaron as he left the table.  “Leyla’s hot and Robert’s single.  I know he says he’s seeing someone but I think he’s making it up.” She fixed her stare on Aaron.  “Is he seeing someone, Aaron?”

Aaron feigned surprise.   “How would I know, Vic?”

“Well you seem to spend a lot of time at the Mill.   I know Liv gets on with Lily but you seem keen to visit as well.  I keep telling myself there’s no way that Robert would be interested in a man but the way he looks at you, tells a different story.  So?”

“So what?”  Aaron asked.

“Are you seeing my brother?”

“Keep it down, Vic.”  Aaron replied.

“So you are!  I’m happy for you both.  He seems genuinely happy.”   Vic smiled.

“Ok, we are dating but can you keep your voice down.  We’re keeping it a secret for now.”

Matty was red.  “Look, I just wanted you to know that I didn’t feel it was up to me to tell you, but I’ve known for a while.”

Vic wasn’t happy.  “We’ll talk about this later, Matty.   Robert?”  She shouted for her brother to come over, so he could escape from Leyla.

He headed over.  “Thanks for saving me.”

Aaron piped up.  “She’s guessed about us.”

“Are we that obvious?”

“In a word, yes.   You’re both like two lovesick puppies.  I never thought I would see you act like this over someone, especially a bloke.    But I’m so happy for the two of you.”

“What are you happy about?”  They were disturbed by the arrival of Katie and Andy.   “We’ll join you and you can tell us all about it.”  She smiled.

“We were just talking about how well me and Lily have settled into the Mill.”  Robert lied.

“She seems to have settled really.”  Katie commented whilst Andy headed up to the bar to buy the drinks.   She noticed Alex was drinking at the bar again.

“Have your family adopted him or something?”  She smirked.  “Chas never shuts up about him.”

“You’d think so.”  Aaron replied, annoyed.   Then he noticed his mum heading over with a pint followed by Alex.

“Love, Alex is bored but is worried about asking if he could join you all.”

Robert wasn’t happy but he didn’t show it.  Aaron, meanwhile, felt he was being pushed into a corner and had no choice but to agree.    “Of course he can.”  He shuffled up to leave room on the back seat for Alex to sit next to him.

Luckily Alex was in quite a chatty mood, making the night more bearable.  He even bought two rounds of drinks for everyone so he became a popular addition to the table.

 

It was soon closing time.   Aaron walked back to the Mill with Robert under the pretence of picking up Liv.  

“Well, that was fun.”  Robert commented.  “What did you ever see in him?”

“Nothing… that’s why I dumped him and got with you.”

“Do you want to stay for a beer?”  Robert asked as he headed into the house.

“Nah it’s fine.   I’m beat.   Think I’ll head home for an early night.  What time are we setting off in the morning?”

“About ten tomorrow.   Just stay for a beer.  I haven’t had a chance to talk to you much tonight.   I miss you.”

Aaron smiled at him.   “You’re needy at the moment.   Next thing you know, you’ll be asking me to move in.”

“Why don’t you?  You and Liv could move in… if she agreed of course.   Maybe after all the Lily stuff has been sorted.”  Robert asked excitedly.

“I think it’s a bit soon, don’t you?” 

Robert tried not to sound disappointed at being turned down.  “I suppose it is.  I do tend to get carried away… sorry.   Look why don’t you come at nine tomorrow?  Lily will be at school, so we’ll be alone.”

“I can’t.   I’ve been roped into some DIY at Alex’s house by mum.”

“Why didn’t you say no?”  Robert asked without thinking.

“You don’t trust me, do you?”

“Of course I do.  I just like spending time with you.”

“Maybe you need to be less clingy.  I need some space sometimes so I can breathe.”  Aaron said in a matter of fact tone, before heading off.  “I’ll see you at ten tomorrow.  Liv… time to go!”

Robert stood there, totally confused by the changeable moods…


	17. Chapter 17

Things didn’t improve much next morning when Aaron arrived at the Mill.   He was ten minutes late.

“I was just about to call you.”  Robert commented as he noticed Aaron’s looking rough.  “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah fine.” 

“You don’t need to come with me.”

“Is this your way of saying that you don’t want me to come?”  Aaron directed at him.

“No, of course.  I want your company but I hate to say that you look a little worse for wear again this morning.   Have a few when you got back to the pub last night?”

Aaron couldn’t help but be annoyed at the suggestion.  “No I didn’t actually.  I went to bed as soon as I got back.  If you must know, I’ve been having quite a few panic attacks in the past few days and I keep dreaming about being back in prison.   I think everything’s just getting to me.    Look, shall we go?”

Aaron wasn’t very chatty so Robert tried to keep the conversation going.  “So did you get sorted at Alex’s?”

“Yeah, he just needed some help with a few kitchen cupboard doors.  Eric’s on holiday and mum volunteered me.   He seems to have given up on me and him, so it’s not too awkward.”

 

It didn’t take them long to get to Leeds.   Robert parked up and they headed into the large modern building.  

“Do you want me to come in?”  Aaron asked when the therapist came out of her room and called for Robert.

“You can if you like.”  He replied curtly, stressed by the upcoming conversation with the grief counsellor.

“Why do I get the feeling that you don’t want me here?”  Aaron asked. 

Robert looked at him.  “Not this again.   Of course I want you here.  Why wouldn’t I? Can we just go in?”

 

“Hi, I’m Judy.”  She smiled.   “You must be Robert.”

“Yes I am and this is my boyfriend, Aaron.”  He said without a moment’s hesitation, making him realise that it wasn’t such a big thing to say it out loud.

“Nice to meet you both.   So have a seat and tell me about Lily.”

Robert explained all about Lily, the type of child she was, how her relationship with Bex had been before the crash and the great support network she had in place back in the village.

“Well, that all sounds very positive.   Right, you need to choose a quiet time and place to break the news.  Whether you want someone there with you when you do it is up to you and whether you think it will help Lily.   Try to use words like ‘died’ and ‘dead’ as using phrases such as ‘passed away’ can be confusing.    She needs to be able to ask questions and you need to answer them as honestly as you can.   You need to let her know that it’s ok to cry.   You don’t need to tell her exactly what happened, a basic outline should do.  She will ask questions if she needs to know more.”

“This is going to be so heart-breaking for her.”

“Yes, it will be but it will get easier.  Once she’s had the chance to process it, try to concentrate on more positive and happier times.  You could think back to some occasions when she spent time with her mum and her family.    I have some books that may help her understand better, they are geared for her age group.   If she has a special object such as a teddy, it may be helpful for that to be available.   Keep an eye out for bad dreams, tantrums and emotional outbursts, it’ll just be her way of dealing with it.” 

“I’ll give her Gilbert the giraffe.  It’s her favourite.  Bex bought it for her last Christmas.”

“Sounds perfect.  You could even think about having an event or similar where you could say goodbye to them.  When she’s ready… of course.”

Judy discussed it further with both Aaron and Robert, and it was decided that she would be told the following weekend and then take a few days off school if needed.   She would come and see Judy if Robert felt some counselling would be beneficial.

 

After the appointment, they headed back to the village.    “Do you want to come in for a while?” Robert asked hopefully.

“Nah I can’t.   Cain’s booked a few cars in for servicing today and I said I’d give him a hand.”

“Okay, come over for dinner.”

“Sounds great.”   Robert smiled.  “Bring Liv too if you want.”

 

Robert had a few questions when he got back to the Mill so he gave Judy a quick ring to go over some things.

“Robert, it may be nothing but I was thinking maybe Aaron shouldn’t be about when you break the bad news.”

“Why?” He asked, puzzled by her suggestion.

“He just seemed a bit out of sorts and jittery this morning, as if he’d been drinking or something else.”

“He’s just having a bad time with his anxiety at the moment.”  He said, not wanting to go into any detail about prison.

“I know I sound like a nosey parker but he seemed on edge and there was an atmosphere between you too before you came into the room.   Tension is the last thing Lily needs at the moment, so keep it as calm as possible for her.”

“Ok… I’ll make sure.  She’s my number one priority.   Thank you for your advice today, it’s made me realise how I need to do this.”

Robert came off the phone, realising that everything Judy had said was right.   He needed to put Lily first and as much as he wanted to be there to support Aaron, he needed to put his relationship on the backburner for a while, so he could look after her.

 

Aaron’s mood had changed again when he arrived with Liv for their dinner.   “Miss me!”  He walked up to Robert and kissed him.

“You’re happy.”  Robert commented, the changeable moods almost giving him whiplash.

“Well, I’m spending time with you and Lily so why wouldn’t I?”

“It’s got to be better than spending time at Alex’s.”  Liv replied.   “We’ve just popped in there to help him connect up his computer and it isn’t until now that I realised how boring he could be.  I’ve told Aaron he needs to keep you.”

Robert smiled back.  

During dinner, Robert couldn’t help but noticed how animated Aaron was, so much so, that it was totally out of character.    He broached it up as they cleared the table after Liv had escaped upstairs with Lily to escape the chore.    “It’s nice to see you upbeat today.  I’ve been worried about you the past few days.”

“Shall I show you just how upbeat I am today?”  He pinned Robert against the cupboard.   “I’m sorry I’ve been a bit cold lately and I want to make up for it.  Why don’t I stay the night?  I could walk Liv home and come straight back.”

Robert wasn’t in the mood because all he could think about what Judy said to him on the phone.  Her suspicions had been back up by Aaron’s out of character behaviour tonight, which had become worse after the three bottles of beer that he’d drank during dinner.

“Do you mind if we leave it?   My mind’s all over the place after this morning.”

“Well I could take your mind off it.”   He started to kiss the side of Robert’s neck, almost lowering his resistance.   

Robert moaned as Aaron continued the assault with his lips.   “I knew this would work.”  Aaron groaned into his neck, only to find himself suddenly pushed back.

“I’m really not in the mood tonight.”

Aaron was clearly sulking at the rejection.   “I get it.”

“No, I don’t think you do.  You’ve turned me down a few times and the one time,  I turn you down, I’m rejecting you.   Look, I need to concentrate on Lily and I don’t have the time or energy to get into an argument with you.   Why don’t you head off?  I could do with an early night.”

“Let’s not bother!   I think we should give each other some space because we obviously want different things.”  He shot back coldly before heading to the bottom of the stairs to shout of Liv.

Liv appeared.   “What’s with the shouting?  Lucky for you both, Lily’s dozed off.   The last thing she needs is to find out her mum’s died during an argument between you two.”   She lectured them.    

“See you around.”  Aaron huffed as he ushered his sister out of the door, leaving Robert shell-shocked.

Little did he realise that Lily had woken up and come to see where Liv had gone.

“Mum’s dead…” Lily’s little face crumpled as the news sank in…


	18. Chapter 18

Robert was now facing the most difficult conversation he would ever have in his life.

“Is it true?”  She asked, her words barely forming.

“Lily, come and sit down next to me.” 

She jumped on the sofa and cuddled into him, as if her life depended on it.   “Ok, your grandad was very old and his heart didn’t work as well as ours do.   It stopped working when he was driving and there was an accident.”

“Was mummy in the car?”

“Yes she was, sweetheart.   So was Auntie Chrissie and Lachlan.”

“Are they ok?”

Robert just shook his head.   “No, they’re all dead.”

“So I can’t see them again.”  She sobbed, clinging to him even more tightly.

“No, you can’t see them again.”  He just told her the facts as Judy had suggested.

“Are they all in heaven?”  She asked.

“Yes, they’re altogether, looking after each other.  Just like I’m going to look after you.”

“Will you die?”

“No, sweetheart.  I’m not going anywhere.   It’s going to make you sad, maybe for a long time but you will start to remember the good times you had with mummy, Chrissie, Grandad and Lachlan, and these good thoughts will help you forget about the bad times.”

“Can Liv and Aaron come to live with us?   I want her to be my new sister.”  

“Not at the moment but maybe sometime in the future.”  He lied, confused at where he even stood with Aaron and he knew that Lily had to be his only priority at the moment.

The floodgates opened.   He could feel her little body shaking from the sobs.    Eventually she gave into sleep.    He managed to pick her up and carry her upstairs, placing her in bed.   He moved a spare mattress next to her bed so she wouldn’t wake up to an empty room.

 

The following morning, Robert and Lily were sitting having breakfast in silence.   She hadn’t spoken since the previous night, the shock pretty evident. 

“I’ve told school you’ll be off for at least a few days so I thought we could do something.  Whatever you want, it’s up to you.”

She just nodded.  “I just want to go riding.  I miss the ponies.   Ring Katie and see if I can go this morning.”

“Ok, I will.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.   Robert went to answer it to find a very apologetic looking Aaron at the door.

“I’m sorry about last night.  Can we talk?”

“Not now.” Robert replied, only to be met with Lily pushing past him and grabbing Aaron’s hand.  “Come in…”  She dragged him in.

Aaron could see that all was not well by her red-ringed eyes.   She took a seat and patted it so Aaron joined her.

“My mummy, grandad, Chrissie and Lachlan are dead…”   She clung to him.   “Don’t leave me and daddy… please.”

Aaron looked at Robert for guidance.    “She heard Liv talking about it last night before you left.  I told her what happened.”

He mouthed a ‘sorry’ at Robert.   “Lily, I am so sorry to hear that.  Is there anything I can do to make you feel a little bit better.”

“Will you stay with me and daddy for a while.  I think daddy needs cheering up too.”

He looked over at Robert who nodded in agreement, although somewhat under duress from Lily’s continual insistence.    He made Aaron a cup of coffee.   “Here you go!”

Lily had gone upstairs to retrieve some toys and her duvet.

Aaron took the opportunity to offer Robert a hug but it was rebuffed.  “Not now!”  He huffed.  “Lily is the only thing that matters and I can’t deal with you being all over the place at the minute.   Lily needs stability in her life, not someone who can’t decide what they want from one moment to the next.    I think your idea of space is the best idea.”

“So that’s it?” Aaron looked genuinely upset.

“Well it’s all I can offer at the moment.    I will give you some advice though.   Why don’t you go and get yourself sorted out.”

“You think I want to be like this.”  Aaron argued back, although quietly so Lily wouldn’t overhear.   “I don’t know what’s happening to me, Robert and I’m scared.    Since I’ve been out of prison and especially the last few weeks, I feel like I’m out of control.    One minute, I feel angry, the next I’m panicking over nothing.”

Robert could see his worry.  “Look, I want to help you but at the minute, I’ve got to put Lily first.   Why don’t you go and talk to someone?  Maybe the GP can refer you for some specialist help.”  He thought about what Judy had said about drugs but he was too frightened to ask the question because he couldn’t deal with the obvious answer. 

“I will.  Please don’t tell me we’re over Robert.  I’ll back off until Lily is feeling stronger and then can we give it a go?   You don’t know how much this means to me.  I love you.”  He begged.

Robert looked at him.   “I love you too, Aaron.   Work on getting yourself some help, I’ll support Lily and then let’s see what happens.” 

“I could help with Lily.”  Aaron announced eagerly.

“I don’t think that’s such a good plan.   Look, why don’t you head off and I’ll catch up with you soon.    I’ll tell Lily that you had to leave to fix a car.”

“Ok, if you think it’s for the best.”

“I do.”  Robert announced reluctantly as he felt Aaron press his lips to his cheek in a goodbye kiss.

 

Lily wasn’t happy that Aaron was gone but she was soon distracted by the offer of spending a few hours at the farm with Katie.    She was soon riding one of her favourite ponies, Bonnie around the paddock on a lunge rein under the watchful eye of Katie who was chatting to Robert.

“So what’s happened?”  She asked concerned.

“I didn’t really tell anyone but Lily’s mum, aunt, grandad and cousin were killed in a car crash a few months back.”   He told her what happened.

“My god, that’s tragic.   How’s she coping?”

“Well it’s not easy.   I don’t think it’s registered fully yet, it’ll hit her hard.  I should’ve told her when I found out, but I couldn’t bear it.   I even took her to Australia to get away from everything and tell her in a neutral environment, but I bottled it.   I’ve got a grief counsellor arranged to see her over the next few weeks.”

“That should help.  If there’s anything I can do, let me know.”  Katie hugged him to show her support.

“There is something.     You mentioned something a few weeks back about Bonnie being for sale and how she might be leaving the yard.”

“Yeah, the girl who owns her is growing too big, so she’s up for sale.”

“Is she a good pony?”

“Yeah she’s sturdy and bombproof, an ideal first pony really.”  Katie explained.

“Can you ask her owners if I can buy her for Lily?   It would have to be on a full livery basis but with Lily being involved.”

Katie smiled.  “That would be an amazing idea.   Lily loves her so much.  How much are you willing to offer for her?”

“As much as they want.   Can you find out today?”

“Yeah, I’ll text them now.”

A text soon came back.   “They’ll sell her for £2000.”

“Tell them, I’ll buy her as long as Lily agrees.   Can you get her over?”

Katie led Bonnie over.  

“Lily, I was thinking about buying Bonnie for you.  Would you like that?”

Her face lit up instantly.  “You mean she would be my horse.”

“Yeah she would… all yours.   But she would still live here and Katie would look after her when you couldn’t be here.    You can ride her whenever you want.”

“Daddy, thank you.    I was scared that I’d have to say goodbye to her too.”

“No, she’s all yours then.”

Lily piped up.  “That’s the best news ever.   I can’t wait to tell Aaron and Liv.  When are they coming to live with us?  We can be a family.”

Robert deflected the question as he could see the look of utter confusion on Katie’s face.   “Lily, why don’t you go and get a carrot and see if Bonnie’s hungry.”

He didn’t even give her the chance to ask.   “Katie, this has to stay between you and me… for now.   I’ve been seeing Aaron for months.”

“Seeing, as in seeing.”  She announced, completely shocked.

“Yeah he’s my boyfriend.   Before you say anything, I’m bisexual.    We met at the library and got talking.  He didn’t know who I was, I didn’t know who he was… and things just happened.   Anyway, I love him and I see a future for us… but it’s a little bumpy at the moment with all of the stuff with Lily.”

She took a step back.  “Wow… you’re really serious about him, aren’t you? I hope you sort it out and don’t worry I’ll keep quiet even to Andy.  The last thing you need is everyone grilling you and Aaron over this.   It’s nice to see you settled on someone.”  She smiled.

 

Later that afternoon, Katie arrived at the Mill with the paperwork for Bonnie. 

He hugged her tightly.  “Thank you, Katie.   Remember it’s our secret.”  He reminded her of the Aaron situation.   “I don’t think now’s the right time to go shouting about us all around the village, do you?  I mean I think Andy’s going to struggle to deal with it big time.”

Little did Robert realise that, that Aaron was approaching the house to tell him that he'd got set with an appointment for a counsellor.   He’d heard everything.


	19. Chapter 19

Aaron walked away as fast as he could, his heart broken.    He should’ve known that Robert would never change.    He was still the same Robert of old, the one that everyone talked about.    He realised, however hard it would be, he had to pick himself up, dust himself off and get on with his life.  

He found himself sitting in the pub having a drink at the bar, thinking of the damage that was being done to Lily and Freya.   Both their families were about to ripped apart, thanks to the actions of one Robert Sugden.  

“You’ve got the day off too.”  Alex smiled as he approached.

“Look, Alex.  I’m not really in the mood.”

“Do you want to talk?  As friends?   I could get us a drink.” 

He was going to refuse but then he noticed Katie and Robert arrive in the pub with Freya and Lily.  The girls immediately headed through to the back room.     He didn’t mean to take Alex up on his offer but then he saw an opportunity.    “Ok then, why not?”

“You grab us a seat and I’ll get the pints in.” 

Aaron headed to the corner, making a point not to look across at Robert.    But, he couldn’t avoid him for long as Robert headed over to the table where he was sitting.

“Aaron, can we have a quick word?  I hate things being like this between us.   Do you want to come out with Lily and me tomorrow?   I’ve just bought her a horse and she wants to go and buy her some new stuff.”

Aaron couldn’t believe what he was hearing and looking over, he noticed Katie smiling over at him.   It was pretty obvious that Robert thought he could have both him and Katie on the go at the same time.   Maybe he couldn’t decide who he wanted.

“I’m busy at the garage.   Why don’t you ask Katie?”  He wanted to say something but he knew it wouldn’t be fair to Lily or Freya if they overheard.   “She knows all about horses.”

Robert appeared dejected.  “Ok, maybe some other time.  Text me!”

Aaron just nodded but then smiled as he saw Alex approaching.  “Rob, if you don’t mind.  I’m just here for a quiet drink with a friend.”  He expected a sarcastic comment from Robert, so he was surprised at the reply.

“It’s nice you two can be friends.   Have a nice drink.”  He smiled, but Aaron could see he was seething underneath.

The pint didn’t last long as Alex headed to the bar to get another.   Aaron’s mood was going downhill quickly as he felt his anger rising in his chest.   He watched over as Katie and Robert were engaged in some in depth chat about something funny.   She was giggling like an annoying schoolgirl with a crush and he was doing nothing to stop her.

“Are you okay?”  Alex asked, concerned.  

“I’m fine.  I think I’ve just had too much to drink.  Maybe I should call it a night.”

“We could have a coffee back at mine, if you’re interested.”  Alex suggested. 

Aaron looked over and noticed an increased level of interest from Robert.  He’d just come up with the idea of making Robert jealous.    He could feel himself letting go, not caring about the consequences so he threw caution to the wind, as he leant over, whispering in Alex’s ear.  “Ok, why not!”  

But it didn’t end there as Aaron leant in a bit further.   “Maybe we should give us another go.  I think I was a bit hasty in dumping you.”  He kissed a surprised Alex on his lips, not caring who saw.    

Chas stood at the bar with her mouth gaping wide open, speechless.   Faith was more vocal.   “Well, that’s the best thing I’ve seen all day.   I knew he wouldn’t be able to keep away from Alex for long.”  

Cain wasn’t impressed.   “This is all a bit weird.  Last thing I heard, he couldn’t stand Alex, now he’s all over him like rash.”

 

Katie could see the look of horror on Robert’s face as Aaron continued to kiss Alex.   “Rob, he’s not worth it.”

“He is.  I need to talk to him.   He’s making a mistake.   Something’s not right with him.”  He watched Aaron approaching the bar and overheard him chatting to his mum.   “I won’t be back tonight.”

She smiled.   “I’m so happy for you two.”

Aaron looked at Robert and smirked in his face.  

 

Alex’s mobile rang.    He looked over at Aaron.  “Look, I need to call the hospital back.   Don’t worry, I’ve had a drink so they can’t make me go in.  Why don’t we meet back at my place in about ten minutes.”

“Sounds like a plan.”  Aaron kissed him again.   “I’ll just grab some stuff from upstairs and I’ll be over.”

Robert watched him disappear through the back room and assumed he would head out the back door, so he headed around to wait.

 

Five minutes later, Aaron appeared, clearly worse for wear as he staggered across the car park. 

“Aaron, what are you doing?”   Robert asked Aaron as he approached him.  “What’s happening to you?   Why would you make a move on Alex when you’re clearly not interested in him.”

“I’ve seen sense… finally.”  Aaron scoffed at him.   “I never should’ve dumped Alex.   You just come with too much baggage.”   He slurred.

“You’re drunk and you’re making a mistake.  You’ll regret it.”

“No, I won’t.   The only thing I regret is ever meeting you.   You’re not going to make a mug of me anymore.”

“I love you.”  Robert tried to make him see reason.  “More than I ever have before.”.

“Is that what you tell Katie as well?” 

“Katie?  Where does she come into this?”

“I’m sure you can work out what I’m talking about.  Have you told Andy yet about you two?  I mean I’m sure he’d be interested to hear how you’ve been sleeping with his wife.   But then again, he’s used to it.”

“We’re not sleeping together.   She’s a friend… nothing more.   We were over years ago.”

“I’m not an idiot and I won’t let you treat me like one.   You know what it’s not even me I feel sorry for the most.   Poor Lily has just lost her mum and her family and now you’re going to break up another family.   What are Andy and Freya?  Do you ever think of anyone else but yourself?”

“Aaron, you’ve got to believe me, there’s nothing going on.    There’s been no-one else for me since I’ve been with you.   I’d never cheat….”  He begged Aaron to listen but he was stopped mid-sentence by the intense force of Aaron pushing him onto the bonnet of a nearby car. 

It wasn’t long before they rolled off the bonnet with Robert smacking his head hard on the pebbled ground.    He opened his eyes to the sight of Aaron lifting up his arm with the obvious intention of bringing his fist down on his face. 

He closed his eyes, paralysed as he waited for contact to be made, but then he felt Aaron’s weight being lifted off of him.     He looked over to see Cain dragging him off.

“What’s going on with you, Aaron?” Chas shouted at him.  

“Nothing.    He deserves it.”  

“What’s he done?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”  Aaron said as he realised what he’d done, before bursting into tears and running off.  “I can’t deal with this anymore.”   

 

Meanwhile, Robert had managed to pull himself up.   He could see blood seeping down his collar.   Chas showed him to back room.

“Katie’s arranged for Lily to see Diane and Doug’s for a while.” She explained.  She grabbed a tea towel and handed it to him.   

Cain appeared.  “What’s going on between you and Aaron?”

“Nothing.”  Robert protested, clearly knocked off by the head injury.   “It’s between me and him.  We’ve just had a disagreement and he’s angry with me about it.”

“We’ll get it out of Aaron then… when we find him.”  Chas was concerned. “If anything happens to him, you’ll pay for it.”

Cain pushed his sister back into the kitchen.   “Are you stupid, Chas?  You can’t wind him up too much.  One word from him to police and we might as well wave Aaron goodbye for a few years.  He’s on licence remember and even a minor offence could put him back behind bars.  We both know he wouldn’t cope.”

Robert could hear them, but then everything went fuzzy, as he passed out…


	20. Chapter 20

Aaron woke up with his head pounding, but it took him a few minutes to work out where he was.   He couldn’t remember how he had made it into the back of a car in the garage, but then the events of the previous night were coming back to him.    What was happening to him?  What was making him turn into a Jekyll and Hyde? 

He pulled himself out of the back seat, steadying himself before heading down to make amends with Robert, if he would ever talk to him again.    It was still early so the village was very quiet.  He headed down to the Mill.    He knocked quietly so not to wake Lily, the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her more than he already had her dad.

Suddenly an unexpected face appeared at the door…  Katie.

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage.  Lily and Freya are asleep upstairs and the last thing they need is to hear you kicking off again.  And for the record, there’s no me and Robert.”

“But I overheard you and him talking outside the Mill yesterday.”

“We were talking about you and him.  He told me that he wanted to be with you and how much he loved you.  But, after this, I think he should stay well away.”

“I just need to talk to him.  I promise I’ll keep my voice down.  I just need to apologise about my behaviour last night, it was unforgivable.”

Katie wasn’t impressed with his apology.  “If you want to see him, you’ll find him at Hotten General… ward 2.”

Aaron felt sick.  “What… why’s he there?”

“Well, that tends to happen when you are thrown to the ground and end up with a head injury.”  She could see he was upset so backed off a little.   “He passed out at the pub last night.  I take it, you didn’t make it back there.  Please don’t tell Robert, you ended up at Alex’s last night.    He  was devastated when he saw you two together last night.”

Aaron shook his head.   “I didn’t spend the night with Alex.  I slept at the garage.    I need to see him.   How’s Lily?”

“She’s coping… just.   She’s terrified that she’ll lose her dad.  But Andy managed to convince her that it was only a little bump to the head.    He’ll be okay, he’s only in for observation.”

 

Aaron headed up to the hospital.   “I need to see Robert Sugden.”  He told the unimpressed nurse who was manning the nurse station.  

“I’m afraid, it’s not visiting until 2pm so you’ll need to come back then.” 

“I’m his boyfriend and I need to know he’ll be ok.”  He begged her to listen, and it must’ve worked as she just nodded.  

“Look, just ten minutes, he’s in side room 3.”   She pointed him down the corridor.

“Thanks!”  He smiled at her.

 

Robert was dozing when Aaron entered the room but the sound of the door made his eyes open.  Aaron watched in horror as he noticed Robert flinch as he approached the end of the bed.  “Get out.”  He ordered.

“Rob, please let me explain.” 

“I’m not interested in your excuses.”  Robert stared at him with a hurt expression.   “You’ll apologise again and then you’ll kick off again.  It’s a cycle, Aaron.   Well guess what I’m not interested anymore.”

“I thought you were sleeping with Katie.”

“And that’s an excuse to attack me, is it?  You didn’t even give me a chance to explain.   And to top it off, you used Alex to get back at me.  Why would you do that?   You know what…  I actually feel sorry for the guy.”

Aaron pleaded with him to listen.   “Robert, I’ve got a problem.   I been so angry lately, out of control and keep feeling like I need to lash out.    I’ll get help.”

“Look, I don’t care what you do anymore.   You’re free to get back with Alex if you like.   I know it’s a small village but we can both stay out of each other’s way as much as possible.   I know Lily’s attached to you, but I want you to back off.   You’re not to talk to her under any circumstances.  And if you do, you’ll find that I’ve suddenly remembered what happened to me last night and the police will be the first to know.”

Aaron knew he had no choice.  He left leaving Robert tearing up.  

  
To make matters more complicated, Alex was assigned as his doctor for the morning shift and was full of apologies for what happened.

“I just wish I hadn’t bought him so many drinks.  He does seem to be drinking a lot at the minute.”

“You seem to be getting on well last night.”

“I think it was just the drink to be honest.  Alcohol has a tendency to make you forget why you broke up in the first place and remember I have first hand experience of his temper.”

“I don’t know what gets into him sometimes.   He seems fine one minute and then just snaps.”  Robert was defending him subconsciously.

Alex seemed uncomfortable as if he was holding something back.   “Look I wouldn’t normally betray Aaron’s confidence but I heard about your little girl losing her family and I honestly don’t think he’s the best person to have around at the minute.  Aaron’s got a problem with his temper and I was on the receiving end of his anger more than once.”

“You mean he’s hit you other times.”  Robert offered.

“I’m not willing to go into details but this…”  he pointed to his nose.   “…wasn’t a one-off.  He wants us to get back together and I’m not sure whether I should take him back.”   He announced, acting as though he didn’t know about Aaron and Robert’s relationship.

The suggestion hurt Robert, but he was worried about these new revelations.   He had to keep Lily safe and if that meant, keeping Aaron away, it would have to happen.   There were too many signs to ignore now, considering Aaron’s temper had landed two people in hospital in the past few months.  What if Lily was to see an outburst or even worse, be at the receiving end of it.   

 

Robert was finally given the all clear to leave that afternoon.   

“If I hadn’t Lily was excited when she arrived on the ward with Diane to pick him up. 

She flung herself into his arms.  “Daddy, you’re okay.”

“Yeah I’m fine sweetie.   I’m all patched up and ready to go.”  He said as he packed the medication into the bag that Diane had brought for him.    “I just have to get the discharge letter off the doctor.”

A few minutes later, Alex arrived.   “Robert, I’m glad you’re okay.  Here’s your letter.” 

Lily beamed when she saw the doctor.   She smiled as she went up to him.  “You’re that nice doctor from the village, aren’t you?”

Robert just looked at Lily, latching on to Alex as if he was the only person in the room.   Everyone seemed to love him for some reason or other. 

“You are really kind, aren’t you?” She smiled at him.

“Well, I suppose I have to be… to be a doctor I mean.”

“I think you’re lovely and you have looked after my dad really well.  Thank you!”  She hugged him.

Robert watched the exchange with confusion.  He’d never seen her like this with anyone.  “Lily, you can leave go now.   I’m sure Dr Alex has other poorly people to look after.”

Lily giggled as she let go.  “Sorry.”   She was blushing.   “Do you have any sweeties for me?”

“Lily, what are you on about?”  Robert asked, apologising for her forwardness.

“Doctors give out sweeties sometimes when people are good.   I’ve seen it.”

Alex laughed.  “Too many sweeties are bad for you, so why don’t I get you a sticker instead.  I’m sure I can find one somewhere.”    He went off and got a sticker.

 

They headed off home, dropping Diane off at the B&B on the way.

As they drove through the village, Lily saw Aaron working at the garage.  “There’s Aaron.  Can we go and see him?  I need to tell him that you hit your head last night.   He might come over and make you feel better.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Lily.   I was going to wait to tell you but Aaron and I have decided not to be boyfriends anymore.”

She was upset.  “Why, what happened?  You and Aaron were happy, he made you smile all the time.  What about Liv?”

“Liv can still come around but I think Aaron may not come around as much.   I think he likes Dr Alex more than me.”    He announced, struggling to come up with a good reason why they’d split up.

“Can we go to David’s shop, Daddy?” 

“In a bit?”

“Can we go now?”   She was practically dragging him out of the car.

“Why are you so keen?”  He asked curiously.

“Because we can buy some sweets for Aaron.   I think that’s why he likes Dr Alex more than you, because I saw him putting sweets in Aaron’s drinks.”

Robert stopped in his tracks.    He knelt down.   “What do you mean?  When?”

“There were two times at the pub…   Dr Alex put some sugar in his drink and then yesterday he put a small white sweetie in it.  That’s why I asked him for some sweets at the hospital.   Was I wrong to ask?”

Robert shook his head and hugged her, trying not to let her see the look of horror etched on his face.  “No, of course not.  Thank you for telling me, Lily.  Can we keep this our secret?”

“Yes.   Can we go and get some sweets for us?”

He nodded, as he tried to work out his next step…

 


	21. Chapter 21

Robert approached Paddy as he sat chatting to Marlon at the bar.  He waited until he was alone.

“Paddy, I’m sorry to bother you but do you know where Aaron is?”

Paddy was instantly concerned.   “I don’t know if I should tell you.   Maybe it would be better that you didn’t see each other, it’s obviously not working.   He was out of order for hitting you, but I can see he’s struggling at the moment.   You’re not going to go to the police are you?”

“I love him, Paddy so of course, I’m not.  I want to help him.  Do you know where he is?”

The vet paused for a minute.   “He’s gone out in Hotten for a meal with Liv but I’m not sure where.   I would wait until tomorrow if you want to talk to him.  Leave him be tonight.” 

Robert checked the internet and realised that tomorrow wouldn’t be too late, so he decided to have a quiet night in with Lily.

 

The following morning, Lily had insisted on going to school to see her friends.   Jessie agreed that it would maybe help her to deal with things better and promised to keep a close eye on her. 

In some ways, it would make that day easier as he had to put his plan into action.

 

_Aaron, can you come to the Mill?  I need to see you._

He pressed the send button on his mobile, unsure of the response he would get back, so he was shocked when he heard a knock at the door.

He opened it.  “Aaron… I didn’t think you’d come.”

Aaron was nervous.  “I wasn’t sure I should, to be honest.  Where’s Lily?”  He asked as he looked around.

“She’s at school… her choice.”

“How is she?”

“She’s doing ok.   But I know it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

“Well, I won’t make it worse.  I’ll stay out of her way.    How’s your head?”  Aaron asked clearly wondering why he was there.

“It’s not too bad.   Look, can we have a cup of coffee and a chat?”  He pointed over to the table. 

Aaron nodded as he took a seat.   “Can you just tell me what you wanted to see me about?  After our last conversation, I don’t get it.”

Robert put down a cup for him and took a seat.

“I’m so sorry about the way I spoke to yesterday but I was just so shocked by what had happened.”

“You don’t need to apologise, Robert.  My temper put you in hospital, I can’t expect you to not react.”

“Look, I’ve found something out and I’m going to tell you… but you need to promise not to have a knee-jerk reaction to it.”  Robert prepared him.

Aaron nodded, confusion in his expression.  “Ok?!”

“I think I know why you’re behaving out of character.    Lily told me yesterday that she’d seen Alex putting a white powder and a white tablet in your drink at the pub.   She thought it was sweets or sugar.    I think he’s been drugging you and that’s why you’ve been so angry and lashing out.”

Aaron couldn’t believe it.   “You’re kidding right?”

“No, I wish I was.   Lily kept telling me how lovely Alex was for giving you sweets in your drink.   She’s not making this up.    Has he been buying you drinks lately?”

“Yeah he has as it happens.   I just thought he was being nice and wanted to be friends and all this time, he’s been drugging me.”   He got up.  “I’m going to kill him.”

“Aaron, sit down.   We need proof.   They won’t believe our word over his.   We need to put the evidence together before we go to the police.”

“We…?”  He queried.   “There’s no need for you to get involved in this, concentrate on Lily.  She needs you.”

“I’m not going to let you go through this alone.   I should’ve been more supportive and tried to help you, before pushing you away.”

“Don’t you dare… You’re not to blame for any of this.”

“It doesn’t matter.   I’m going to help you nail him, but we need to be clever about this.   I’ve booked an appointment at a private clinic in Leeds to have some toxicology tests done, to prove he’s been drugging you.   Then we can go to the police.”

“That won’t work… they won’t believe you.” 

“Of course, they will.   We’ll have evidence.    You don’t have a history of taking drugs so the police might wonder why you’ve suddenly started taking them.   They may be able to look into where he got them from.  I mean we don’t even know if they’re prescription or illegal drugs.”

Aaron shook his head.  “I’ve got a record for drug taking… in prison.   I was taking spice, as well as dealing.  The only way I got away with it was to turn in the main dealer.   It was the only way I could stay sane… taking drugs stopped me thinking about pain from the beatings.  But the police will know all about it and they’ll assume that it was me who took them.”

Robert was concerned.   “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.   Are you on anything now?  I only need to ask as it might affect the drug tests.”

“No, I’ve not used anything since I got released.   What time’s the appointment?”

“At 1.30.   Do you fancy some lunch in Leeds?  My treat.  We can talk more.”  Robert offered as he grabbed his keys.

 

An hour after they were sat eating burgers in a city centre bar.   There was a strange atmosphere between them, clearly caused by the massive elephant in the room.

Robert was the first to broach the subject.    “Aaron, can we try again?  I’m so miserable when we’re fighting.   Please?”

“I was going to ask the same thing.”    Aaron smiled at him.   “I’ve missed you and Lily so I’d love to give it another go.”

“How about moving in with me and Lily?”  He asked enthusiastically.    “I mean if Lily and Liv want that.   It must be packed at the pub.”

“Yeah it is, and it would be great to have space.  But that means I would have to put up with you more often.”  Aaron joked.

Robert playfully nudged him.   “I’ll get you back for that.”

“I hope so.” 

“Look, why don’t we get these tests out of the way and then sort Alex out.  Then we can announce our plans to the family.” 

“Sounds good.”   He looked at his watch.

“We’d better head to the clinic.” 

 

The doctor came to speak to them and explained the procedure.  “Right, we can have a result in 24 hours as to whether the test is positive for any kind of drug, prescription or not.   But it takes up to another 2-3 days to ascertain which drugs are involved.”

“Are we too late?”  Aaron asked.  “I mean it’s almost two days since I had them.”

“No, most drugs will show for at least 48 hours after taking them, some for weeks.   We’ll do blood and urine tests and get back in touch with the results as soon as we have them.”   The doctor explained.  “You’ll get a full printed report of the results within the week.”

The tests took less than twenty minutes before they were on their way back to Emmerdale so Robert could pick up Lily from school.

“Look, why don’t we catch up tonight?  Can you and Liv sneak around for pizza?”   Robert asked hopefully.   “Maybe you could stay the night.”

Aaron kissed him.  “That’ll be great but I doubt I can swing a night away from the pub without my mum asking a million questions.”

“Ok, I get it.  I can’t wait until we can act normally.    You have to promise to stay away from Alex until we get the results.  If he suspects anything, he could get rid of the drugs.   I’ve got a plan for later in the week, so I’ll fill you in on that later.”

“I’ll avoid him as much as I can, and if I have to see him, I’ll not let on.    Thank you for today.” 

“You’re welcome and don’t worry, we’ll get you sorted.” 


	22. Chapter 22

Aaron wasn’t in the best mood at not being able to spend time with Robert in the past few days but he knew that it wouldn’t do him any favours.   His mum was watching him like a hawk since he attacked Robert and Cain kept asking how he was.    He could only speak to Robert by text although he was going to spend time with him later that afternoon, come hell or high water.

“Hi.”  Alex approached him in the pub as he was chatting to his mum over lunch.  

“Hi.”  He smiled , biting back his annoyance at the interruption.   

“Can I have a lunch menu, please?”  Alex asked, much to the delight of Chas.

Her face lit up as she announced her idea.  “Take a seat, Alex.   Aaron’s just about to have lunch too, so he can join you.”

Aaron glared at his mum, who explained after the doctor was out of earshot.

“Why did you do that for?”  He whispered through gritted teeth.  

“Well, you two seemed really cosy the other night and he’s just what you need at the moment.   You need a calming influence in your life and I mean, you can’t get much calmer and laid back than Alex.  You were making your feelings pretty clear to him the other night, before you smacked Robert.”  

“I was drunk, I made a mistake.  As I keep telling you, we broke up for a reason so please don’t see something that isn’t there.”

Chas wasn’t finished.  “But he’s good for you.   He clearly has your best interests at heart and he even forgave you for breaking his nose.”

Aaron held back what he really wanted to say, knowing he had to hold out for a few more days until Robert and  their plan could come to fruition.   

“Look, I don’t trust Robert not to go to the police and you being with Alex could keep down your prison sentence.”

“Robert said he wouldn’t go to the police.”

“And you suddenly believe him?”

“I think to be honest, he’s got his hands full with Lily losing her whole family, so yes, I believe him.  H e’s agreed to put it all behind us.” 

Chas panicked.  “You can’t believe a word he comes out with.  He might be trying to trap you into some kind of confession.”

“Stop being so overdramatic, mum.   Look if it’ll keep you happy, I’ll spend some time with Alex… but just lunch.”  He conceded.

Alex kept smiling at him as they sat at a table in the corner.  “Is your mum bothering you?  You didn’t need to have lunch with me, you know.”

Aaron shook his head.  ”No, actually, this is the perfect opportunity to say sorry for the other night.   I shouldn’t have led you on, thinking there was a chance for us.”  

He seemed disappointed.  “I was hoping we could give it another go.  You seemed really keen the other night and I think we’d be good together.   I’ve even been thinking about taking another job so I’m not on call as much.”

Before Aaron could reply, his phone rang.   He looked at the caller ID and recognised it as the clinic number.   “Can we talk in a minute?  I just need to take this outside.”  He got up and headed out the door. 

“Aaron...”  

“Yes, speaking.”

“It’s the clinic.   We’ve got the preliminary results back and you’ve got traces of two types of drugs in your system – some type of  amphetamine, most likely,  methamphetamine and some type of barbiturate.”

“What type of symptoms would they cause?”

The doctor explained.  “It depends on the person, but possibly, mania, paranoia, anxiety, aggressive behaviour.  The list goes on.   Every reacts differently.   One thing I can say is that it’s very toxic combination and you could become very ill if you continue to take them.  We’re pushing through the final report as quickly as we can, as we know you have concerns that someone has spiked your drinks.   I would suggest informing the police.  Hopefully we’ll have the report with you within 48 hours.”

As soon as he hung up, he texted Robert asking him to pick him up at the bridge as soon as he could.    

Robert couldn’t contain his anger as they drove out of the village.  “I’m going to kill him.”

“Rob, you know we have to keep quiet for a bit longer.”

“I know.   It must be so hard to not react around him.”

“Tell me about it.  I’ve just had to have lunch with him to stop him from being suspicious.   Can you meet me at the pub tonight?  I’ve decided we need to announce that we’re a couple.   Let’s rile, Alex, although I’m starting to wonder if he knows about us somehow.   Maybe that’s why’s so keen on revenge.”  

“ Nevermind riling Alex, your mum is going to be less than impressed and god knows what Cain will do.”

“It might just make Alex crack and drop himself in it.”

“But we’ll have evidence in a few days and then the police will arrest him.”  Robert explained.

“I might hate Alex but he’s not stupid, he’ll have covered his tracks and it will be his word against me.   Plus we have my drug use in prison.  They’ll think I took it.”

“What’s up with you?”  Chas asked Aaron later as he sat shuffling about in his seat at the bar.   “Why do you keep looking at your watch?”

“I have a date.”

“He’s here.”  She smiled as she pointed at Alex who’d just arrived in the bar.   

“It’s not Alex.”   He could see Katie smiling knowingly at him out of the corner of his eye.

She was taken aback.  “Who is he?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see.”  He smiled as he noticed Robert approaching.  “Aaron!”

“Look let’s not have any trouble tonight.”  Chas interrupted.   “He said you’ve made up so can we just forget it happened.”

“Mum, shut up.   Robert’s...my date.  Can we have two pints?”  He pointed over to the table where Robert had taken a seat.

“Yeah of course he’s your date.”  She laughed nervously until she realised he was being serious.  “No way, is Robert Sugden gay.”   

Katie leant over the bar.  “He’s bi and I never thought I would ever say this, but he’s serious about Aaron.”

Chas looked at her friend in complete disbelief.    “You know about this...”

“Yeah I’ve known for a few days.   They’ve been seeing each other for months apparently.”  

Chas glared at her.  “Well, you could’ve told me.”  

Robert and Aaron sat and drank, slightly unsettled by the constant looks from Chas at the bar and the whispers from around the regulars in the pub, obviously gossiping about the latest news.

“Hopefully Cain won’t come in tonight.”  Robert was clearly nervous.

“Look, never-mind that... can I stay at yours tonight?  I’ve missed you.”  He kissed him, before noticing the look on Alex’s face.  It was working...

“I was hoping you would ask.   I might let you... in fact just move in tonight.  We can grab your stuff tomorrow.”  He whispered back in Aaron’s ear.

Suddenly they were interrupted by Alex, holding a drink.   “Aaron, I just wanted to say... no hard feelings.   Now I know why you’ve been a bit distant lately.   Anyway... rum and coke... a peace offering.”  He put the drink down in front of him.

Aaron smiled.  “Thanks Alex.  I didn’t mean to hurt you.  Thanks for the drink.”  

Robert smiled.  “Since when did you drink rum and coke?”

“Alex introduced me to it.   It’s lovely.   Want some?”  He was about to pass it over to Robert, noticing the instant flinch of panic appear across Alex’s face. 

Robert shook his head.  “No, I don’t like rum.  I’m a real bloke... a pint of lager and a packet of crisps does me fine.” 

Alex relaxed and smiled.  “Enjoy.”  

After a few minutes, Aaron got up, looking around the pub.  “Why don’t we go through the back as I feel like we’re the main attraction tonight.”  

He grabbed their drinks and headed through the back.    They noticed Alex at the bar, chatting to Sam and Lydia. 

Five minutes later, they reappeared, much to the curiosity of Chas.    “Liv’s brought Lily from the Mill to grab some DVD’s from her room.   Liv’s sick of seeing Frozen.    Anyway, we’ve been kicked out as it’s a girlie night apparently.”

Alex smirked.  “Sounds about right.  Do you want another drink?” He offered to both Robert and Aaron. 

“No, I’ve still got this one.”  He looked down at his empty hand.  

“I must’ve left it through the back.”  Aaron smiled as he headed back through before appearing with a look of horror on his face. 

“Oh my god, this was full when I took it through the back.   Someone’s had some.”  Aaron looked panicked. 

“I bet Lily’s drank some.  She’s always asking me to buy her some coke.”  Robert replied, calmly.   “She’ll be fine... there’s not much gone.”

Meanwhile, Alex was ashen white...


End file.
